Irrfan Khan with wife Sutapa. (Image courtesy: sutapa.sikdar)
Highlights
- Irrfan Khan was diagnosed with a neuroendocrine tumour in March 2018
- He opened up about his cancer battle
- "We cried a little and laughed a lot," said Irrfan
Irrfan Khan, who awaits the release of Homi Adajania's Angrezi Medium, recently opened up about his ordeal with cancer and how his wife Sutapa Sikdar stood by his side through the tough times. Irrfan, 53, was diagnosed with a neuroendocrine tumour in March 2018 and has been traveling back and forth since his cancer treatment. The actor, in an interview to Mumbai Mirror, revealed how his wife encouraged him to overcome the cancer and said: "What to say about Sutapa? She is there 24/7. She has evolved in care-giving and if I get to live, I want to live for her." Irrfan added: "She is the reason for me to keep at it still."
Irrfan was diagnosed with cancer in March, 2018 and a few days later, he left for London for his treatment. He returned to India in February 2019 and filmed Angrezi Medium during his brief visit. A couple of months later, he flew into London to continue the treatment and returned to India after his surgery in September last year. Angrezi Medium marks Irrfan's first film after his cancer treatment.
Talking about his treatment, Irrfan said that it has been a "roller-coaster ride" filled with "happy" and "memorable" moments. "It's been a roller-coaster ride, a memorable one. Happy moments were underlined because of the inherent uncertainty. We cried a little and laughed a lot. We became one huge body," said Irrfan.
"You screen out noises... You are selective about what you want to filter in. I have gone through tremendous anxiety but have somehow managed to control it, then, let go. You are playing hopscotch all the time," he added.
Irrfan still has to completely recover from the disease. Ahead of his film's release, the actor, in a special video message, gave his fans an update about his health and informed them that he won't be able to promote the film personally because of the "unwanted guests" resting in his body.
Here's the video message we are talking about:
On the work front, Irrfan Khan has delivered several critically acclaimed films in his career spanning almost thirty years such as Maqbool, Haasil, Paan Singh Tomar, Haider, Talvar and the Academy Award-nominated Salaam Bombay!. His hit international projects include The Namesake, Life Of Pi, Inferno, Slumdog Millionaire and The Warrior among others.