Bhupesh Kumar Pandya, known for his roles in films like Vicky Donor and Hazaaron Khwahishen Aisi, among others, has been diagnosed with metastatic carcinoma of lungs, stage IV cancer. Confirming the news, his wife Chhaya Pandya, says, “Unfortunately, this is true, and my husband is suffering from stage IV cancer. He has undergone supportive care, palliative chemotherapy and palliative RT at an Ahmedabad hospital.”

The actor, a known name in the theatre circles, was discharged from the hospital on Sunday (September 13) and will again be admitted on September 21 for further treatment.

Bhupesh, who lives in Delhi had gone to his native place — Garhi, a village in Banswara (Rajasthan) — during the lockdown. Initially, the actor suffered from cough, which he completely ignored, and even his family kept getting him treated for the same, informs his wife. It’s only when his health deteriorated, they took him to Udaipur due to lack of medical facilities in Garhi. His health did not improve, and later doctors referred him to a hospital in Ahmedabad in the last week of August, where it was confirmed that he is suffering from cancer.

Most of the family’s saving has been spent on his treatment in just a couple of months. Meanwhile, Chhaya has also lost her job of a school teacher in Delhi amid the Coronavirus pandemic. She adds, “His friends have helped us financially, but now we are running short of money. For further treatment, my husband needs to be put on immunotherapy with chemotherapy. The cost of the next six cycles of treatment in the next six months will approximately be Rs. 15 lakh.”

Rajasthan state government has contributed Rs. 2 lakh for the actor’s treatment. Apart from this, Ashwath Bhatt, along with Bhupesh’s other National School of Drama (NSD) batchmates, are also trying to raise money. They have created a crowdfunding page for this purpose. Ashwath says, “I’m upset to see an artiste, who has dedicated three decades of life to art, suffer like this. Though the state government has provided financial assistance, it won’t suffice. The government should take the responsibility to bear the whole expense of his medical treatment.”

He adds, “I would appeal to every art lover to come forward and contribute generously. I, along with my fellow artistes, are reaching out to senior actors of NSD, and even NSD chairman Paresh Rawal ji for funds. We are also writing to PM Relief Fund for financial assistance.”

Souti Chakraborty, Bhupesh’s NSD batchmate, adds, “We are trying our best to raise money for the treatment through crowdfunding. Many of our friends from the theatre community have also come forward to provide financial assistance.”