Did Sanjay Leela Bhansali Suffer A Heart Attack? Bollywood Director Clarifies

2026-02-25 02:22:08

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Relax, Devdas fans. Bollywood filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali is fine. Perhaps as fit as a fiddle.

Bhansali's family refuted rumours that he had suffered a heart attack, stating that he had visited hospital for a routine medical checkup.

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"We sincerely appreciate the love, care and concern shown by everyone," his family said in a statement on February 26.

Unconfirmed reports did the rounds that Bhansali, the director of tentpoles on large scales, such as Bajirao Mastani, Gangubai Kathiawadi, and Devdas, was rushed to hospital on February 24, his birthday. Social media amplified this, with an avalanche of similar unverified posts.

However, there have been no verified hospital records or statements to back such claims.

The truth: Working on birthday

Bhansali is busy shooting for his upcoming film Love & War, starring Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt and Vicky Kaushal in the lead. Ever the workaholic, Bhansali was busy working on his project even on his birthday.

“Work is all that I have to define my identity. When I am workless, I feel worthless. I'm more adventurous and fearless as an artist now," he was quoted as saying by the Indian entertainment news portal Cinema Express. "Today, I am working harder than I did five or 10 years ago. I put in nearly 20 hours every day, and I am enjoying it.”

On the occasion of Bhansali's birthday, veteran actress Manisha Koirala, who had worked in his debut film along with Salman Khan, called him a genius whose artistic vision had left its mark on Indian cinema as well as on her career.

"I have always admired the way you surrender yourself completely to your art," Koirala wrote on social media. "The intensity, the discipline, the madness, the poetry-all of it becomes part of the world you create. And as actors, stepping into your universe is both a challenge and a privilege."

Bhansali made his debut with Khamoshi: The Musical (1996), and is one of Bollywood's most influential creative forces.

His filmography also comprises cult classics such as Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Black, for which he earned the Indian National Award, and Padmaavat. His last production was the period drama, Heeramandi, made into a web series.