Bollywood actor Vinod Khanna dies from cancer in Mumbai

VETERAN Bollywood actor Vinod Khanna died on Thursday (April 27) in a Mumbai hospital after a battle with cancer.

Khanna, 70, was hospitalised last month and his son Rahul said at the time that his father was "severly dehydrated". He is survived by his wife Kavita and three children.

Khanna "breathed his last at 11.20 am (0550 GMT) due to advanced bladder carcinoma," Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital said in a statement.

Khanna was admitted to a private hospital in the city earlier this month after reportedly suffering from bladder cancer. While his family had earlier refused to disclose information regarding his condition, his son Akshaye had said that the actor was doing better.

Born on October 06, 1946 to a Punjabi family in Peshawar, Khanna passed out with a graduate degree in commerce before moving into acting.

Known for his chiseled looks and fiery acting, Khanna, who is also a lawmaker in India's lower house of parliament, made a name for himself in the masala movies of the 70s and 80s before he gave up acting to become a disciple of self-styled godman Osho Rajneesh.

His second stint in Bollywood was not as successful, and Khanna went into politics, representing Gurdaspur constituency in Punjab four times for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

Khanna made his debut in actor Sunil Dutt's "Man ka Meet" in 1968. He went on to star in more than 146 films, the most recent one being "Ek Thi Rani Aisi Bhi", a biopic of politician Vijaya Raje Scindia, which released in cinemas this month.