Sharmila Tagore revealed that she had quietly battled cancer in 2023. Fans were in a shock as the film veteran didn’t let the public know the ordeal she went through. Now, Sharmila Tagore’s daughter Soha Ali Khan opened up about that chapter of her life and shared inside details.
In a candid conversation with Nayandeep Rakshit on his YouTube channel, Soha said, “I have had loss in my family. We have been through stressful situations, as everybody does.” She continued, “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.”
Sharmila’s health concerns had come into public domain during her appearance on Koffee with Karan (2023), where she appeared alongside her son, Saif Ali Khan.
Host Karan Johar revealed that Sharmila Tagore was his original choice for the role which Shabana Azmi (eventually) played in Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani. “I’d offered Sharmilaji the part played by Shabanaji. 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 admitted.
Sharmila Tagore replied, “It was at the height of COVID. They hadn’t really grappled with it at that time, we were not vaccinated. After my cancer… they didn’t want me to take that risk.”
Sharmila Tagore recently acted in a Bengali film titled Puratwan alongside Rituparna Sengupta, which releases today. Her previous film, Gulmohar (2023), where she starred opposite Manoj Bajpayee, received critical acclaim and went on to win three National Awards, including Best Feature Film in Hindi and Best Screenplay (Dialogues).
