Vinod Khanna survived a lung cancer scare before bladder cancer, says wife Kavita
Vinod Khanna's second wife, Kavita, has shared insights into the late actor's battle with lung and bladder cancer, including details about his diagnosis, treatment choices, and the role of spirituality in his journey.
Kavita Khanna, wife of the late actor and politician Vinod Khanna, has opened up about her husband’s long and largely private struggle with cancer, revealing that his health challenges began years before his well-known battle with bladder cancer.
According to Kavita, Vinod Khanna was first diagnosed with lung cancer in 2001 during a routine annual check-up. Doctors detected patches in his lungs, which specialists in Mumbai confirmed were cancerous. She attributed the diagnosis to his heavy smoking habit at the time.
“It was 2001 when Vinod had a diagnosis of lung cancer,” Kavita recalled, speaking on her YouTube channel. “He had gone for his annual check-up, and they saw patches in the lungs. He used to smoke 40 to 80 cigarettes a day. We went to the leading MRI specialists of Mumbai, and they all said it was lung cancer," she added.
Before proceeding with surgery, the couple sought guidance from their spiritual mentor, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. Kavita said they were advised to consult the head of oncology at AIIMS Delhi to assess whether the surgery could be delayed while Vinod focused on alternative healing practices.
Following this, Vinod Khanna spent time at an ashram in Rishikesh, practising Sudarshan Kriya. During a later visit to Germany, he experienced intense shoulder pain, prompting another medical examination. An X-ray showed no fracture – and, more surprisingly, no trace of cancer.
“They couldn’t find any lung cancer,” Kavita said, adding that doctors in London, where they travelled next, were incredulous and initially suspected a mix-up in reports. However, subsequent tests confirmed that the cancer had not returned.
Nearly a decade later, in 2010, Vinod Khanna was diagnosed with bladder cancer – a development that proved far more serious. Kavita recalled that doctors offered a grim prognosis, estimating only a 25 per cent chance of survival beyond two years, even with full allopathic treatment.
“Vinod told Gurudev, ‘I’ve lived a full life. If my time has come, I’m ready. But I don’t want to torture my body,’” she said. On the spiritual leader’s advice, he underwent panchkarma therapy at the ashram. Two years later, scans conducted in the United States showed no trace of cancer.
Following this recovery, Vinod Khanna was advised to give up alcohol, a habit he limited to one or two drinks in the evenings. Although he adhered to this guidance, his health deteriorated in later years.
Vinod Khanna died in 2017 at the age of 70 while undergoing treatment for advanced bladder carcinoma in Mumbai. A towering presence in Hindi cinema and politics, he had famously stepped away from films at the peak of his career to follow Osho Rajneesh, before returning years later with roles in films such as Wanted, Dabangg and Dilwale.
Kavita Khanna, wife of the late actor and politician Vinod Khanna, has opened up about her husband’s long and largely private struggle with cancer, revealing that his health challenges began years before his well-known battle with bladder cancer.
According to Kavita, Vinod Khanna was first diagnosed with lung cancer in 2001 during a routine annual check-up. Doctors detected patches in his lungs, which specialists in Mumbai confirmed were cancerous. She attributed the diagnosis to his heavy smoking habit at the time.
“It was 2001 when Vinod had a diagnosis of lung cancer,” Kavita recalled, speaking on her YouTube channel. “He had gone for his annual check-up, and they saw patches in the lungs. He used to smoke 40 to 80 cigarettes a day. We went to the leading MRI specialists of Mumbai, and they all said it was lung cancer," she added.
Before proceeding with surgery, the couple sought guidance from their spiritual mentor, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. Kavita said they were advised to consult the head of oncology at AIIMS Delhi to assess whether the surgery could be delayed while Vinod focused on alternative healing practices.
Following this, Vinod Khanna spent time at an ashram in Rishikesh, practising Sudarshan Kriya. During a later visit to Germany, he experienced intense shoulder pain, prompting another medical examination. An X-ray showed no fracture – and, more surprisingly, no trace of cancer.
“They couldn’t find any lung cancer,” Kavita said, adding that doctors in London, where they travelled next, were incredulous and initially suspected a mix-up in reports. However, subsequent tests confirmed that the cancer had not returned.
Nearly a decade later, in 2010, Vinod Khanna was diagnosed with bladder cancer – a development that proved far more serious. Kavita recalled that doctors offered a grim prognosis, estimating only a 25 per cent chance of survival beyond two years, even with full allopathic treatment.
“Vinod told Gurudev, ‘I’ve lived a full life. If my time has come, I’m ready. But I don’t want to torture my body,’” she said. On the spiritual leader’s advice, he underwent panchkarma therapy at the ashram. Two years later, scans conducted in the United States showed no trace of cancer.
Following this recovery, Vinod Khanna was advised to give up alcohol, a habit he limited to one or two drinks in the evenings. Although he adhered to this guidance, his health deteriorated in later years.
Vinod Khanna died in 2017 at the age of 70 while undergoing treatment for advanced bladder carcinoma in Mumbai. A towering presence in Hindi cinema and politics, he had famously stepped away from films at the peak of his career to follow Osho Rajneesh, before returning years later with roles in films such as Wanted, Dabangg and Dilwale.