Renowned actor and BJP MP from Gurdaspur, Vinod Khanna's mortal remains were cremated this evening in the presence of his family members and colleagues like Amitabh and Abhishek Bachchan, Rishi Kapoor, Ranjit, Subhash Ghai, Dia Mirza, Randhir Kapoor, Randeep Hooda, Chunky Pandey and Praful Patel.<br/><br/>The veteran actor passed away in Mumbai this morning. He is survived by wife Kavita, sons Rahul, Akshaye and Sakshi and daughter Shraddha. The 70 year old actor was hospitalised earlier this month as he was apparently suffering from severe dehydration.<br/><br/>The statement from Sir H.N. Reliance Foundation Hospital, where Mr. Khanna breathed his last today said the actor passed away due to advanced bladder cancer.<br/><br/>A veteran, whose career spanned five decades and over 140 films; Khanna began his journey as a villain in the 1968 movie "Mann Ka Meet". He continued to play villainous and supportive roles in his initial years in films such as "Purab Aur Paschim", "Aan Milo Sajna", "Sachaa Jhutha" and "Mera Gaon Mera Desh".<br/><br/>His first break as a hero was in Gulzar's 1971 film "Mere Apne", where he stood out as a disillusioned young man. With this film, Vinod Khanna became Gulzar's favourite actor and both of them paired up to deliver hit films like "Meera", "Achanak", "Parichay" and "Lekin". Some of his other prominent films include "Dayavaan", "Chandni"," Nehle pe Dehla", "Amar Akbar Anthony", "Parvarish", "Reshma Aur Shera", "Muqaddar Ka Sikandar", "Zameer", "Hera Pheri" and "Khoon Paseena".<br/><br/>Born in a family of textile merchants in 1946, Vinod Khanna chose Punjab's Gurdaspur to make his political debut in 1997 when he joined the Bharatiya Janata Party. He fought and won Gurdaspur parliamentary constituency in all elections except the 2009 Lok Sabha polls.<br/><br/>Mr. Khanna was active in both politics and films till his last days. Some of his last memorable screen outings were in Salman Khan's "Dabangg" series and Shah Rukh Khan's "Dilwale". While tributes have been pouring in from all quarters following Vinod Khanna's demise; in a mark of respect; the makers of the much awaited movie "Baahubali 2 – The Conclusion" have cancelled their premiere show today.