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Sharmila Tagore’s lung cancer was detected at stage zero, was ‘cut out of her’, reveals daughter Soha: ‘There was no chemotherapy’

Sharmila Tagore's lung cancer was diagnosed when it was at stage zero and she didn't need any chemotherapy. The actor recently announced that Puratwan will be her last film in Bengali.

Sharmila Tagore asked daughter Soha to take care of a man's ego when she got married to Kunal Kemmu. (Photo: Express Archives)

Sharmila Tagore shocked her fans when she first revealed in 2023 that she battled cancer. Now, her daughter Soha Ali Khan, has opened up about her mother’s health concerns and said she was one of the few people whose cancer was caught early and she didn’t have to go through any chemotherapy. Previously, Sharmila had shared that she had to pass on Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani because she did not want to risk her health at the height of the pandemic as she had already been though cancer.

Soha shared, in a chat with Nayandeep Rakshit, on his YouTube channel, “I have had loss in my family. We have been through stressful situations as everybody does.” She then shared, “With my mother, she was one of the very few people to be diagnosed with lung cancer at stage zero, and no chemotherapy, nothing. It was cut out of her and she is, touchwood, fine.”

The subject was previously discussed on Koffee with Karan when Sharmila was a guest on the show with her son Saif Ali Khan. Karan shared that Sharmila was his first choice for Shabana Azmi’s role in the film. “I’d offered Sharmila ji the part played by Shabana ji, she was my very first choice. But because of health reasons at that time, she couldn’t say yes. It is a regret I have,” he said. To this, Sharmila, replied, “It was at the height of COVID. They hadn’t really grappled with COVID at that time, we were not vaccinated. After my cancer… They didn’t want me to take that risk.”

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Sharmila Tagore, who is now 80, continues to work in the movies actively. Her latest film Puratwan, also starring Rituparna Sengupta, releases on Friday. The actor has said that it will be her last Bangla film. “Acting needs a certain level of physical fitness and I’m not keeping well,” she said ahead of the release. She was seen in the much acclaimed 2023 film Gulmohar alongside Manoj Bajpayee. The film won three National Awards for Best Feature Film in Hindi, Best Screenplay (Dialogues) and a Special Mention for actor Manoj Bajpayee.

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