More to life than success, failure: Emraan Hashmi

Actor says hits and flops feel transient when he sees children falling ill

MUMBAI: Bollywood heartthrob Emraan Hashmi has spoken up regarding his son Ayaan’s battle with cancer, claiming that hits and flops become futile when he sees small children falling sick. The actor, who has also penned a book about Ayaan’s illness recently, says that life is much more than just successes and failures.

“Any hits and flops seemed so transient when I saw all these children battling their illnesses while Ayaan was in the hospital,” said Emraan. “Children don’t deserve this. With grownups, we often badger our bodies, smoke and drink and destroy our own immune systems. But what do children do to deserve this?” The Azhar star went on to add that the entire experience altered his life. “This question transformed my outlook towards life. I can’t stress about success and failure anymore,” he added.

According to Emraan, his work was the only ‘painkiller’ during Ayaan’s treatment. “Work was a painkiller — a numbing agent. For a few minutes in front of the camera, I could let go of the pain,” he said. “For a while, I ceased to be the father of a seriously ill son.”

Ayaan is Emraan’s first child with his wife Parveen Shahani. He was diagnosed with first-stage cancer at the age of four in early 2014.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 16^th, 2016.

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