For a star who has spent decades playing damaged men, anti-heroes and survivors on screen, Emraan Hashmi says real life delivered a blow no script could ever prepare him for. Long before career highs or critical
praise mattered, one afternoon in 2014 rewrote everything he believed about control, success and certainty. The actor recently spoke about the most painful chapter of his life during a conversation with Ranveer Allahbadia, revisiting the moment when his young son Ayaan was diagnosed with cancer. It is a memory that still defines him, not as a star, but as a father. “My whole world flipped in 12 hours” Looking back at that day, Emraan described how quickly normal life collapsed into shock. “The most difficult phase of my life was when my son fell ill in 2014. And I can’t even express it in words what that phase was. It went on for 5 years. My life changed in one afternoon. On 13th January, we had gone for brunch. We were eating pizza with my son. The first symptom was rubbed on that table. He passed blood in his urine. In the next 3 hours, we were in a doctor’s clinic. The doctor said that your son has cancer. You have to get him operated in O.T. the next day. And then you have to undergo chemotherapy. So my whole world flipped in a matter of 12 hours.” The suddenness of the diagnosis made the blow harder to process. There was no slow build-up, no warning. Just a before and an after. When confidence turns into fear Emraan admitted the timing made it even more devastating. Life had finally begun to feel steady. “You can say that there is a high point in your life. And it felt like I’ve got it now. I’ve got my grip on life. Then suddenly you get a kick in the face. It happens,” he said. What followed was a five-year stretch defined by hospital corridors, treatment schedules and constant worry. The actor has often spoken about how that period stripped life down to its basics, pushing ambition aside and replacing it with presence, patience and gratitude.
That experience later led Emraan to write a book aimed at helping parents facing similar situations, turning a deeply personal trauma into something that could support others. Today, with his son healthy and recovering, he sees that time as the most brutal but transformative phase of his life.
On the work front, Emraan is currently enjoying a strong phase. His recent series Taskaree has been well received, with viewers praising his controlled performance.
