When Sanjay Dutt was devastated by his first wife Richa’s death from cancer while he was in jail

Actor Sanjay Dutt is among Bollywood's most successful and versatile stars, with a career spanning more than a hundred films. Beyond the glamour of his career, however, he has suffered from severe personal tragedies, such as the sudden deaths of two of the most significant women in his life, his mother Nargis and his first wife Richa Sharma, both from cancer.

Richa, Sanjay's first wife, died of a brain tumour in 1996 when he was just 32 years old. Because the couple also had a young daughter, Trishala Dutt, who experienced the anguish of losing her mother at a young age, the loss was particularly devastating.

Shortly after her Bollywood debut, Sanjay and Richa fell in love, and they were married in 1987. However, Richa's cancer diagnosis soon rocked their world. Sanjay had already lost his mother, Nargis, to cancer in 1981, shortly before the release of his first movie, Rocky, so this was especially devastating for him.

Sanjay took Richa to New York for treatment, holding onto hope. Although the doctors initially offered them hope, he was unable to be with her at this crucial time due to his filming obligations in India. After being deemed cancer-free, Richa returned to India in 1992, but by that time, the couple's emotional distance had grown.