Anurag Basu, one of the most prominent figures in the Hindi film industry, successfully established himself as a director, screenwriter, actor, and producer in Hindi cinema. Some of his most notable works include erotic thriller Murder, Gangster: A Love Story, and Life in a... Metro, among so many others. During his college days, he got the opportunity to assist with TV and film projects.
Following this, he became an assistant director, then a director, an actor, and also a cinematographer, eventually. Well, his contribution to the industry is unmatched. While his professional life is known to everyone, very few people know that Basu had fought a furious battle with cancer, so much so that he was once given only two weeks by the doctors to live.
Anurag Basu survived blood cancer, which he was diagnosed with back in 2004. He had APL, which is a form of blood cancer. Talking about the same on the podcast, Unfiltered By Samdish, Anurag shared that he had covered the shots of Murder and Saaya when he was diagnosed with this disease. He shared that at that time, he started getting blisters around his mouth, and doctors advised him to get a checkup, but he kept delaying until his health condition deteriorated.
In his personal life, Anurag is married to Tani Basu, and they have two daughters, Ishana and Ahana. Well, when Anurag was diagnosed with cancer, Tani, first didn't know about the same and got to know about it through the news. Talking more about the same, Basu, in the same podcast, shared that doctors only gave him two weeks to live. During that time, Basu's wife, Tani was 7 months pregnant. Anurag mentioned that his wife did all the struggle to be around him and he was pushing himself for two months to just see his baby's face, and he kept doing it until he became cancer-free. In Anurag Basu's words:
"At that time, Tani (his wife) was seven-month pregnant with Ishana, and she used to struggle in staying close to me. I was pushing myself for two months… so that I could see baby’s face. Then after that, I keep pushing myself."
In the same interview, Anurag Basu revealed how he had to struggle after his health deteriorated. He thanked everyone who donated blood while stating that he still doesn't know whose blood is running through his veins. Sharing how his health was back then, Anurag added that his internal organs started bleeding, his face bloated and he couldn't even breathe. The Murder director shared how suffocating it was, which finally brought him under the reality check about his condition. He gave courtesy to Sunil Dutt, who helped him to get a bed at the Tata hospital, which perhaps wouldn't be possible for a normal man. Anurag Basu could be quoted as saying:
"As soon as I reached Tata Hospital, I was put on ventilator. In fact, I wasn’t able to get a bed there. It was Sunil Dutt who got me one. I feel blessed to be a part of the film industry, that I immediately got a bed and treatment. A common man would have struggled."
Continue reading below
What do you think about Anurag Basu's battle with cancer and the way he survived the same?
Also Read: Anurag Basu's Wife, Tina Basu's Way Of Eating Fish Made Him Fall In Love At First Sight With Her
