Anurag Basu opens up on his fight against blood cancer; doctors said he had two weeks to live
After his battle with cancer, filmmaker Anurag Basu believes his perspective on life has altered. Basu was diagnosed with blood cancer in 2004 and given just two weeks to live by his doctors. His wife, Tani was seven months pregnant with their daughter, Ishana at the time.
In a recent interview, Anurag Basu discussed the scariest period of his life and how he overcame it. It all began when the filmmaker developed large sores in his mouth. Despite the doctor's recommendation that he be admitted for medical tests, Basu chose to return to the set of the film he was working on at the time.
He said, “By evening, Mukesh Bhatt asked me to pack up for the shoot. You can never expect him to say that. It’s impossible. When I saw my parents’ face in hospital, I got a hint that something was wrong.”
The Barfi (2014) director was admitted to Lilavati hospital in Mumbai. “I felt fine except for some headache and weakness. I even sneaked out of my hospital room for a beer with Emraan Hashmi and others. But my condition started deteriorating rapidly as no medicine was helping,” he added.
“Whoever knew me from television was doing everything they could, sending messages, asking for blood to save me. I don’t even know who all donated blood and platelets for me, whose blood is running in my veins today!” concluded the 52-year-old filmmaker.
