Sharmila Tagore Opens Up For The 1st Time About Battling Cancer, Reveals Why She Rejected 'RARKPK'

Sharmila Tagore made some startling revelations as she recently graced the popular reality show, Koffee With Karan season 8, which streams on the OTT platform Disney+ Hotstar. Sharmila attended the show with her son, Saif Ali Khan and also talked about battling the deadliest disease, cancer. For the unversed, Sharmila was married to the love of her life, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, and together they welcomed three children, Saif, Soha and Saba. 

Sharmila Tagore opens up about battling cancer for the first time

During the course of a conversation on Koffee With Karan season 8, the host of the show, Karan Johar was heard mentioning that the role of playing Dharmendra's love interest in his last released film, Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, was given to the legendary actress, Sharmila Tagore. However, she rejected the role, and that is when it was offered to Shabana Azmi, who played her character extremely well. Moreover, Dharmendra's kiss with Shabana in the film became one of the most talked about things in 2023. However, Karan also revealed that Sharmila couldn't work in that film because she was facing health issues. Karan said:

“I had offered Sharmila ji the part played by Shabana Azmi in Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani. She was my very first choice. Due to health reasons at that time, she couldn’t say yes but it is a regret I have.”

Also Read: Sharmila Tagore On Saif's 'Not So Harmonious' Divorce With Amrita: 'She Needed Time To Cool Down'

After listening to Karan, Sharmila explained the real reason for which she couldn't work in the film, Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani. The veteran actress mentioned that it was during the time when the pandemic was going on in the country, and she was diagnosed with cancer. This is the first time when Sharmila talked about fighting the deadliest disease. However, she chose to refrain from sharing much details about the same issue related to her health. Elaborating further, Sharmila mentioned:

“This is at the height of Covid. They hadn’t really grappled with Covid at that time. They didn’t know the vaccine… We were not vaccinated. You know, after my cancer. So, they didn’t want me to take that risk.”

Sharmila Tagore met Shabana Azmi at the Pataudi Palace

Meanwhile, the pivotal role of Alia Bhatt's grandmother in the film, Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani was given to Shabana Azmi. The film's shoot predominantly happened during the Covid-19 wave. Although Sharmila couldn’t be a part of the film, she met Shabana when the latter went to Delhi. On November 27, 2021, Shabana took to her Instagram handle and shared a happy photo with her close friend from the industry, Sharmila and captioned it as:

“So happy to meet up with #Sharmila Tagore in Delhi.”

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For the unversed, Sharmila has moved her base to New Delhi and has been living at the Pataudi Palace. Often, we get to see Saba Ali Khan, Sara Ali Khan, Ibrahim Ali Khan, Saif Ali Khan along with his wife, Kareena Kapoor and their kids, Taimur and Jehangir, Soha Ali Khan with her husband, Kunal Kemmu and their daughter, Inaaya paying much-awaited visits at their family home. And we often get stumbled upon an array of glimpses from the same.

Well, we are super proud that Sharmila gave a tough fight to the deadliest disease, cancer.

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