Complex sentence: The music director, prior to signing the project had been diagnosed with blood cancer and since, it has been debated that Kamal Haasan's cancer-ridden role in the film was a tribute to Mahesh.
Split into simpler sentences: The music director, prior to signing the project had been diagnosed with blood cancer. Since, it has been debated that Kamal Haasan's cancer-ridden role was a tribute to Mahesh.