Bollywood celebrities brave illnesses, bounce back in action

Celebrities such as Rishi Kapoor, Irrfan Khan and Sonali Bendre Behl have fought serious illnesses in the recent past. 
Actor Rishi Kapoor (File| AFP)
Actor Rishi Kapoor (File| AFP)

MUMBAI: Once Rishi Kapoor is back home after months of being in New York for treatment, he is likely to bounce back to action soon with a film co-starring Juhi Chawla.

And he is not the only actor who has fought a serious illness like a warrior and set an inspirational example for fans to follow.

Celebrities such as Irrfan Khan and Sonali Bendre Behl have fought serious illnesses in the recent past.

After undergoing treatment with courage and a smile on their face, they not only resumed work with a renewed vigour, but also discussed their physical and mental struggles with their fans and followers.

Rishi looked his fittest in the past few months in a recent photograph that he posted on social media from New York.

Just a few days before that, he had posted: "Today I complete eight months here in New York. When will I ever get home?"

In April, his brother Randhir Kapoor had said Rishi will return to India in some months amidst reports that he was "cancer free".

Now if latest media reports are anything to go by, Rishi is likely to be back in time for his 67th birthday in September, and he may also then resume work with a yet untitled film with 1990s co-star Juhi Chawla. It is a family comedy to be helmed by debutant director Hitesh Bhatia.

Irrfan has already started shooting for his new film 'Angrezi Medium'.

Only last year, the acclaimed actor had announced he was diagnosed with a serious ailment, and later told his fans he was suffering from a neuroendocrine tumour.

He travelled to London for treatment, and in April 2019, he returned to sets of 'Angrezi Medium', which also features Kareena Kapoor Khan.

Last month, Irrfan said the "last few months have been on a road to recovery, a period to heal to fight the fatigue and face the reel and real world".

He said he was "taking baby steps to merge my healing with work and trying to experiment the amalgamation of both". 

Another warrior in the industry is Sonali.

Last year, she was diagnosed with what she called "high-grade cancer", and underwent treatment in New York.

She had a strong support system in her family members and friends who kept cheering her on during her struggle.

In February, Sonali came back to work and shot a brand campaign. She has also been going on television shows and speaking about emerging stronger.

In an Instagram post, Sonali urged others to fight cancer like a warrior.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

“I knew that if I allowed fear to overtake me, my journey was doomed. Fear, to a great extent, is born of a story we tell ourselves, and so I chose to tell myself a different story from the one women are told. I decided I was safe. I was strong. I was brave. Nothing could vanquish me.” – Cheryl Strayed, Wild. Over the past couple of months, I have had good days and bad ones. There have been days when I’ve been so exhausted and in so much pain that even lifting a finger hurt. I feel like sometimes it’s a cycle… one that starts off with physical pain and leads to mental and emotional pain. The bad days have been many… Post chemo, post-surgery and the like… where even just laughing hurts. Sometimes it felt like it took everything I’ve had to push past it… a minute to minute battle with myself. I got through it knowing that even though I was fighting a long drawn out, draining battle… it was one that was worth the fight. It’s important to remember that we’re allowed to have those bad days. Forcing yourself to be happy and cheerful all the time serves no purpose. Who are we being fake and putting on an act for? I allowed myself to cry, to feel the pain, to indulge in self-pity… for a short while. Only you know what you’re going through and it is fine to accept it. Emotions aren’t wrong. Feeling negative emotions isn’t wrong. But after a point, identify it, recognize it and refuse to let it control your life. It takes an immense amount of self-care to get out of that zone. Sleep always helps, or having my favourite smoothie after chemo, or just talking to my son. For now, as my treatment continues… my visual focus remains to just get better and get back home. It’s yet another test… Student all my life… Learning all my life… #OneDayAtATime

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