Sonali Bendre Recalls Being In Denial After Her Stage 4 Cancer Diagnosis, 'It Felt Like A Dream...'

Sonali Bendre, one of the most popular actresses of Bollywood and Telugu cinema during the 90s, was left shattered when she was diagnosed with cancer. The actress was diagnosed with Stage 4 metastatic cancer in 2018, and after a prolonged fight with the deadly disease, Sonali was declared cancer-free in 2021. Even though she donned a brave face through it all, taking fans along in her journey with raw and inspiring updates on her social media, it was not always easy.

Sonali Bendre was in denial when she first got her cancer diagnosis

During a heartfelt interview with ANI, Sonali talked about her vulnerable moment when she first got the devastating news of being diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer. For the actress, it all felt like a fever dream that kept on repeating itself every night. But then the reality gradually dawned upon her. Sonali shared:

"I was in denial. I would actually get up in the night and feel like it was a dream. But then you wake up and realise it's not a dream, nothing has changed, it's the reality."

Sonali also briefly opened up about her treatment phase, recalling the ‘harsh’ chemotherapy and radiation sessions that made her body feel dead from the inside. The treatment, paired with her acting profession, presented a significant challenge, as the latter required considerable physical exertion. The actress recalled:

"The thing about cancer is the treatment is so harsh, especially when you go through your regular chemotherapy and radiation and all of that. Those are so harsh... your body is just killed from inside. And just to heal from it and get back to doing the work that I do. Our job is very physical. Not just mental, but very, very physical also. So there is no, 'I'm not up to it,' but the set is standing. The dates are there. You have to go to work. You can't say somebody else will take over for me today. So I needed to really heal and then get back to it, which I have done now.”

Sonali Bendre remembers Salman Khan’s support during her treatment

Further in the conversation, Sonali shared how surprised she was at Salman Khan’s genuine support during her difficult phase. The actor shared the screen with Sonali in Hum Saath Saath Hain, and during her close-up shots, he used to make faces behind the camera to distract her.

However, after her cancer diagnosis, it was the same prankster who travelled to New York multiple times to check on her, discuss her treatment with her husband and even the doctors. The actress fondly recalled:

“There are two sides to Salman. You can either love him or you will hate him. And at that point of time, I was not fond of him… He's a prankster. He's like a child. For the same person who's making faces behind the camera is the same person who has made two trips maybe to New York where I'm there to see if I'm okay in my illness... and for the fact that he would call up and check with my husband, and say, ‘Are you sure you've got the right doctors? I think you should get in touch with these doctors also’.”

Fast forward to today, Sonali Bendre is living a cancer-free life, and she is healthier than ever. She was recently seen in a cameo role in Abhishek Bachchan’s film, Be Happy, and is reported to star in a new series alongside Ali Fazal.

What are your thoughts on Sonali Bendre’s initial reaction to her cancer diagnosis?

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