Emraan Hashmi Reflects on Valuing Family and Prioritizing Health After Son’s Cancer Battle
Emraan Hashmi, the renowned Bollywood actor, opened up about one of the toughest phases in his life when his son Ayaan was diagnosed with cancer in 2014 at the age of four. Fortunately, Ayaan was declared cancer-free in 2019. Hashmi revealed that this challenging period made him appreciate his family even more.
“I would say that I started valuing family a little bit more,” Hashmi said. He emphasized the importance of not taking anything for granted and living life to the fullest. “You don’t know what the future entails. Don’t have any regrets. I have become a little more disciplined about my health and my family’s health. Our diet used to be extremely unhealthy before Ayaan’s diagnosis. We realised that and made many changes to our lifestyle,” he added.
Hashmi, who was known for working on projects back-to-back, has since slowed down. When asked about the importance of work-life balance, he said, “I have always wanted to strike a balance, so it isn’t a result of any particular upheaval in my life. I tried doing that after we got married and had Ayaan. Your life gets affected when you become an aggressive workaholic, but I made deliberate efforts to ensure that I could make time for my family as much as possible.”
On a lighter note, Hashmi shared that his son Ayaan has recently watched some of his films. “He saw Tiger 3 and Selfie recently. He liked Tiger 3 more for its big-screen experience. He likes watching all things expansive in theatres with heavy-duty action, spectacular sets and stunning VFX,” Hashmi revealed.
In a related context, actress Sanjana Sanghi highlighted the therapeutic value of festivals, describing them as a great way to celebrate and alleviate stress and anxiety.