Trishala Dutt recalls losing mom at 8: ‘It was already grade 4’; expert on childhood grief

3 min readNew DelhiJun 13, 2026 08:00 PM IST

Sanjay Dutt with daughter Trishala. (Source: X/@trishaladutt)

Trishala, Sanjay Dutt‘s daughter, recently opened up about losing her mother, Richa Sharma, to cancer when she was only eight years old, stressing that it was a particularly difficult time for the family, since her father also couldn’t be present full-time in the US during her cancer treatment, due to his acting commitments in India.

“My mother passed away in 1996 when I was 8 years old, and she passed away from a brain tumour. She was diagnosed in 1989. When they found out, it was already grade 4. That type of brain cancer is one of the deadliest and most aggressive human cancers. Dad was splitting his time between India and the US. He was back and forth because he was working, and it was hard to stay here for her entire treatment while also being an actor back home,” she recalled on the Inside Thoughts Out Loud podcast.

The grief led her to find comfort in food, which eventually resulted in a “weight problem”.

The unseen cost of caregiving

Gurleen Baruah, Existential Coach at That Culture Thing, shared that when it comes to caregiving, every family is different. Their circumstances, support systems, coping styles, emotional culture, and resources can all be very different. “But yes, when one parent is seriously ill for a long time, it is usually very hard for both the spouse and the children. The spouse often takes on the role of caregiver, trying to stay strong, manage responsibilities, and emotionally hold the family together, and that can take a deep toll over time,” she tells indianexpress.com.

She adds that children, in their own ways, may also experience grief, confusion, fear, or sadness, even if they do not always express it openly. It becomes a difficult emotional phase for the whole family, and everyone processes it differently.

According to Baruah, parents can gently observe changes that may or may not be related directly, but still deserve attention, like withdrawal, sadness, increased silence, irritability, clinginess, sleep changes, anxiety, or difficulty expressing feelings. “Children also experience grief, fear, and uncertainty in their own ways. The important thing is creating emotional safety where the child feels seen, heard, and allowed to express emotions without pressure to always stay strong,” says the expert.

It hampers a lot because financial stress adds to every other existing stress. Baruah states that long-term illness already brings uncertainty, emotional exhaustion, caregiving fatigue, and fear, and financial pressure can intensify all of that. “Making ends meet, managing treatment costs, balancing work with caregiving, and constantly thinking about survival can slowly drain emotional energy and motivation. Families may begin functioning only in survival mode,” she concludes.

DISCLAIMER: This article is based on information from the public domain and/or the experts we spoke to.