NEW DELHI, APR 27, (DNA) – Vinod Khanna, the original heartthrob of Hindi films, died this morning. He was reportedly battling with cancer for years.The actor was 70.

In his long Bollywood career, he worked in more than 100 films, and was an active politician, and Member of Parliament from Gurdaspur, Punjab. Vinod is survived by his wife Kavita Khanna, sons Rahul, Akshaye and Sakshi, and daughter Shraddha Khanna. Before marrying Kavita, Vinod Khanna was married to Getanjali but they later got divorced.

Vinod was one of the most sought out films stars in the 1970s and 1980s. Initially he was offered only negative and small roles, but in no time, he started bagging lead roles in many films. He had made his film debut in 1968 with Mann Ka Meet, and later on he went on to becoming a star and his performance in films like Mere Apne, Mera Gaon Mera Desh, Imtihaan, Inkaar, Amar Akbar Anthony, Lahu ke Do Rang, Qurbani, Dayavaan and Jurm were truly appreciated.

Vinod Khanna received the Filmfare award in the best supporting actor category for Haath Ki Safaai, and in 1999 he received the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award, and again in 2007 he won a lifetime achievement award at the Zee Cine Awards.

After such an impressive career, in 1982 he took a break from work to join his guru Osho Rajneesh at his ashram. He gave up films altogether in that period. After a five-year break from work, he started signing films again and gave two superhits, Insaaf and Satyamev Jayate.