When Rakesh Roshan hit the gym before his cancer surgery: ‘I would take chemo, come to the office’
Veteran actor and filmmaker Rakesh Roshan turns 73 on Tuesday. Through his many decades in the film industry, he has seen it all. The actor-director experienced severe health issues when he was diagnosed with cancer in 2018 but his battle with the disease made him mentally stronger and the veteran has spoken about it on various occasions. His son, Bollywood star Hrithik Roshan has applauded his father’s journey and called him the “strongest man he knows.”
In an earlier interview, Rakesh recalled the day he received a call from the hospital about his cancer diagnosis. He told Spotboye, “It all began with a bler which refused to go; it was a small one – no pain, no itching. I went to meet an ENT surgeon who advised me biopsy. I don’t know why but I had a gut right from the beginning that I have contracted cancer. I was at my son, Hrithik’s house when I got the call that I had tested positive. It was December 15, 2018.”
Rakesh had mentioned that the word ‘cancer’ could be difficult to accept so he chose to deal with his illness with a positive frame of mind. He told Bollywood Hungama, “Hrithik and I were working out in the gym till the day I went into surgery. He posted a pic of us on social media in the morning on January 7, drove me to the Hurkisondas Hospital in Mumbai at 3 pm and got me admitted for my surgery. The surgery took five hours, carried out Dr Vijay V Haribhakti and Dr Jatin Shah, who was with him. But I recovered very fast. I would take chemo or radiation treatment and come to the office.”
Hrithik shared that his father and him shared an emotional moment that made them feel stronger. “I hugged him and we both let the tears flow. Ironically, even at that time he was switching between breaking down on my shoulder and consoling me as a strong father. We all felt so much stronger after that release. We must learn to express ourselves as human beings openly. Not just the popular emotions, but all emotions,” he told Hindustan Times.
Rakesh is now fully recovered and often speaks about his journey. He also spends ample time at the gym and believes in staying fit.
He had previously announced that he will be directing the next film of the Krrish franchise soon.
