Archive · 14 Sep 2026
Sanjay Dutt Recalls Resisting Drugs During Richa’s Cancer Battle
Sanjay Dutt had previously struggled with drug addiction.
In 1992, he was working on a movie with writer Ranbir Pushp.
Pushp asked whether Dutt had ever wanted to use drugs again.
Dutt said he briefly had that feeling when his wife Richa Sharma was taken to the hospital for cancer surgery.
He remembered his father, family and his own life.
That helped the thought disappear quickly.
Richa later died from a brain tumor in 1996.
Pushp said Dutt stayed focused and dedicated to his work during that difficult time.
Sanjay Dutt reportedly said he briefly felt tempted to use drugs when his first wife, Richa Sharma, was taken for cancer surgery.
He told writer Ranbir Pushp that remembering his father, family and his own life quickly ended the thought.
The conversation took place while Dutt and Pushp were working on the 1992 film Sahebzaade in Kullu-Manali.
Pushp described Dutt during that period as honest, disciplined and completely devoted to his work.
Richa Sharma died of a brain tumor in New York on December 10, 1996, aged 32.
- Who
- Actor Sanjay Dutt, his first wife Richa Sharma, and writer Ranbir Pushp.
- What
- Dutt recalled briefly feeling tempted to use drugs during Richa’s cancer treatment but rejecting the thought.
- When
- The conversation concerned events around 1992; Richa Sharma died on December 10, 1996.
- Where
- Dutt and Pushp were working in Kullu-Manali; Richa died at her parents’ home in New York.
- Why
- Dutt said the emotional shock of Richa being taken for surgery triggered the brief temptation, while thoughts of his family helped him resist.
- Film project
- Sahebzaade, filmed during an outdoor schedule in 1992
- Location
- Kullu-Manali
- Richa Sharma’s illness
- Brain tumor
- Richa Sharma’s death
- December 10, 1996, aged 32
- Place of death
- Her parents’ home in New York
- Dutt and Sharma’s child
- Their daughter Trishala Dutt was born in 1988
- Later health history
- Dutt said he was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in August 2020