Yesteryear actress Rehana Sultan, who underwent cardiac surgery recently, has been facing a severe financial crisis for several years. People from the film fraternity have come together to provide her financial assistance to help her tide through these tough times.

Talking about her condition, producer and president of the Indian Film & Television Directors’ Association, Ashoke Pandit, told BT, “Rehana stays with her brother in Mumbai and the latter called to inform me that she is quite unwell and has a cardiac issue, which needed to be taken care of. They have no source of income to take care of the expenses. So, I got her admitted to a hospital in Juhu.”

Post her hospitalization, Ashoke reached out to other people from the industry, who came forward and extended financial support for Sultan’s treatment. He shared, “The treatment was quite expensive. I spoke to Rohit Shetty, Rajan Shahi, Ramesh Taurani, Vipul Shah, Javed Akhtar and a few others, and overnight, these people transferred money to ensure the surgery was done.”

Ashoke added, “Rehana is stable now after her cardiac surgery and is very emotional about all the help she has received. I must say that this is what our industry stands for. Actors like Rehana, who portrayed the modern young woman on screen in the 70s, has inspired many filmmakers. It’s a matter of shame if we don’t take care of such people, who are an integral part of the history of our industry.”

Rehana Sultan made her debut in the acclaimed film Dastak (1970) and won the National Film Award for Best Actress. She portrayed a bold sex worker in Chetna (1970), which was rare for an actress of her times. Some of her notable films include Haar Jeet (1972), Prem Parbat (1973) and the political satire Kissa Kursi Ka (1977).