Sanjay Dutt and Maanyata outside their Mumbai home.

New Delhi:

Actor Sanjay Dutt, who was spotted outside his home on Tuesday evening as he left for Mumbai’s Kokilaben Hospital where he has been going for medical treatment. As he left for the hospital, he said, “Pray for me,” reports news agency ANI. Sanjay Dutt was accompanied by his wife Maanayata Dutt, who recently returned from Dubai where she was stuck with their kids Shahraan and Iqra due to the lockdown after the coronavirus outbreak. In a statement Maanyata added, “In these trying times, unfortunately, I have been unable to be by his side in the hospital, due to my home quarantine which ends in a couple of days. Every battle has a torchbearer and someone who holds the fort. Priya (Sanjay Dutt’s sister Priya Dutt) 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.”

“For those asking, Sanju will complete his preliminary treatment in Mumbai. We will formulate further plans of travel depending on how and when the COVID situation eases… I request everyone, with my 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 added.

On Tuesday, as Sanjay Dutt left for the hospital Sanjay Dutt’s sisters Priya was also there. Earlier this month, Sanjay Dutt was admitted to Kokilaben Hospital after complaining of breathlessness. He tested negative for COVID-19 but later he announced that he would be “taking a short break from work for some medical treatment.”

Sanjay Dutt with his family outside his house.

After Sanjay Dutt shared the statement, several news reports suggested he has been diagnosed with cancer. At that time, Maanyata Dutt said, “It is my heartfelt request to Sanju’s fans to taking a short break from work for some medical treatment, but to just help us with their ongoing love, warmth and support.”

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– Sanjay Dutt (@duttsanjay) August 11, 2020

On Tuesday, Maanyata also said: “To all of Sanju’s fans and well wishers, I can’t begin to thank you for the love and warmth you have shown him all these years. Sanju has been through many ups and downs in his life, but what has kept him going through every tough phase has always been your adulation and support. And for this, we will always be grateful. We are now being tested through yet another challenge, and I know, the same love and warmth will see him through this time as well. As a family, we have decided to face this with positivity and grace. We are going to go about our life as normally as possible, with a smile, because this will be a tough fight and a long journey. And, we need to do this for Sanju, without any negativity setting in.

While our family is shaken up, we are determined to fight tooth and nail. With God and your prayers on our side, together we will overcome, and emerge as winners.

Sanjay Dutt will be soon seen in Disney + Hotstar’s Sadak 2, a sequel to his 1991 film Sadak. The film also features Alia Bhatt and Aditya Roy Kapur. His other projects are KGF: Chapter 2, Torbaaz and Bhuj: The Pride Of India, Shamshera and Prithviraj.