BollyCurry Presents Life Changing Cancer Battle

Life is short and sometimes we can't afford the luxury of forever. It is said that you have until the day you die to achieve every goal you want to achieve and fulfil every dream that you carry on your eyelids. You tend to think of the future as something made up of infinite number of days and years. Perhaps, that is why you put off heartfelt confessions, declarations of love and important tasks until tomorrow. And just when you think we have all the time in the world, destiny surprises you by giving a glimpse of how fragile tomorrows can be. It is due to these fragile tomorrows that a major illness fills your heart with dread, especially when the person suffering from that illness is a loved one. Today, BollyCurry brings to you the life changing struggle of the male leads as they watch their loved ones battle cancer in Bollywood movies.

 

Rajkumar Hirani's hit movie Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. (2003) revolves around a goon, Munna, played by Sanjay Dutt, attending medical school and the rib tickling tale that ensues. Munna is portrayed as someone with a miraculous healing hand and unconventional methods of compassion and love which sends patients on the road to recovery. Munna befriends Zaheer played by Jimmy Shergill, a terminally ill cancer patient, who expects Munna's healing touch to work on him as well. Zaheer's death and its impact on Munna's life is a moving sequence that is shown brilliantly in the said movie.  Munna's guilt of not being able to save his friend and the loss that sends him into a dark abyss making him quit medical school, is indeed heart wrenching.

 

The Amitabh Bachchan starrer, Cheeni Kum (2007), has an unconventional love story between a sixty-four year old restaurateur (Amitabh Bachchan) with a women thirty years his junior. As age gaps go, another bond that adds beauty to this movie is the relationship between Bachchan and the nine year old child named Sexy, played by Swini Khara. Sexy, Bachchan's only friend and confidante, suffers from cancer. The child's maturity and acceptance that her days are numbered and Amitabh Bachchan's utter devastation post her death is one of the memorable scenes in the entire movie. Indeed, death of the person you love, changes life in more ways than one.

 

We Are Family (2010) is a film that follows the journey of a divorcee, Maya, played by Kajol, who finds out that she has cervical cancer. The movie revolves around the way her illness affects her loved ones, be it her estranged ex-husband, her children or the women her husband is in a relationship with. We Are Family depicts the different reactions of her family to the news of her terminal illness, ranging from her teenage daughters anger to husband's duty bound care. The said movie is a perfect portrayal of the soul crushing grief of losing the loved one and how time heals all wounds and helps one move on.

 

Karan Johar's recent directorial flick Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (2016) has a bigger twist to deliver than its concept of unrequited love. And that twist comes in the form of Anushka Sharma's character developing cancer in the latter half of the movie. What follows thereafter is her friend, Ayan's (Ranbir Kapoor) journey of making the most of every available moment with her. The film offers the audience a glimpse of how his unrequited love and pain helped him grow into a better person.

 

Some of the memorable movies that revolve around characters having cancer and the lives of the people they touch include Anand (1971) and Dard Ka Rishta (1982), amongst others.

 

 

 

Author: Aditi P.

Editors: Dhanya S.and Mohini N.

Graphics: Nidhi D.