KATHMANDU: Amid the rumours that Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt was battling lung cancer, his wife Maanayata Dutt has revealed that he is undergoing preliminary treatment in Mumbai's Kokilaben hospital.

On August 18, Maanayata said in a statement: "Sanju will complete his preliminary treatment in Mumbai. We will formulate further plans of travel depending on how and when the covid situation eases. As of now, Sanju is in the best hands of our esteemed doctors at Kokilaben hospital."

Maanayata has refrained from specifying the nature of his disease, but said their family was "shaken up" but "determined to fight tooth and nail".

Sanjay was admitted to the Lilavati Hospital on August 8 after he complained of breathlessness. After his discharge on August 10, the actor had tweeted about taking a "short break" from work owing to medical treatment. As rumours swirled around the actor's health condition, Maanayata had requested well-wishers to avoid speculating about the "stage of his illness", according to PTI.

Maanayata, who couldn't be by her husband side as she was under home quarantine, said, ""I request everyone, with folded hands, to stop speculating the stage of his illness and let the doctors continue to do their work. We will update you all regularly with his progress."

She has called Sanjay's sister Priya as the "torchbearer."

"Every battle has a torchbearer and someone who holds the fort. Priya who has worked extensively over two decades with our family-run cancer foundation, and who has also seen her mother battle this illness, has been our incredible torchbearer, while I will hold the fort," Maanayata stated.