Actor Bhupesh Kumar Pandya diagnosed with stage 4 cancer

Actor Bhupesh Kumar Pandya, who has starred in films such as Vicky Donor (2012) and Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi (2005), has been diagnosed with metastatic carcinoma of the lung or stage IV cancer.

The actor’s wife, Chhaya Pandya, revealed to The Times of India newspaper that her spouse is undergoing treatment at Apollo hospital in Ahmedabad. She said the family has exhausted most of its funds for the first cycle of his treatment. Chhaya, who was a schoolteacher in Delhi, lost her job due to the pandemic, exacerbating the family's plight.

So far, the Rajasthan government has contributed Rs2 lakh from the chief minister's fund for the actor’s treatment. The actor, a graduate of the National School of Drama (NSD), is a popular figure on the theatre circuit and his NSD batchmates and fellow artistes are trying to raise funds for his treatment.

Actor Rajesh Tailang took to Twitter to ask fellow artistes to lend a hand. He wrote, “Our dear friend, a fantastic actor Bhupesh Kumar Pandya, is fighting a hard battle with cancer. He needs our support urgently. Please click this and do your bit. Thanks!”

Actor Manveer Gurjar also sought help for Pandya online, tagging Sonu Sood, who has been at the forefront in providing relief amid the coronavirus crisis, in his tweet.