Actor Rajeev Khandelwal recently opened up about one of the most painful chapters of his life, revealing that he still carries guilt over his late mother’s battle with cancer.
In an emotional confession, the actor admitted that he could not recognise the symptoms in time and continues to blame himself for not understanding the warning signs earlier during her illness.
Rajeev on mother’s cancer battle
Rajeev turned emotional while opening up about his late mother’s battle with ovarian cancer on an episode of the reality show Tum Ho Naa. The actor confessed that he still lives with the guilt of not identifying the warning signs of the illness early enough.
Rajeev said, “Main kaafi hadh tak khud ko gunehagaar samajhta hoon, kyunki mummy ko jo symptoms hue thein, tab mein samajh nahi paaya… Yeh show Bharat ke saare mahilaon ko samarpit hai, isliye main aap sab se darkhast karna chahunga agar aap mein kisi ko bhi kabhi back-ache ke samasya ho, aapka agar appetite kam ho jaye, aapke pet mein kuch bloating ho, gas ho aur woh lambe arse tak chale, toh please jaa ke apna test kariye. (I blame myself to a great extent because when my mother started showing those symptoms, I couldn’t understand what was happening at that time. This show is dedicated to all the women of India, and I would like to request all of you that if you ever experience back pain, a loss of appetite, bloating in your stomach, gas, or if these symptoms continue for a long time, then please go and get yourself tested).”
The actor continued, “Ovarian cancer ko control kar sakte hain. Main apni mummy ka nahi kara saka, lekin aapke ird-gird jo mahilaayein hain unke liye zaroor soch sakte hain, samajh sakte hain. (Ovarian cancer can be controlled. I couldn’t do it for my mother, but you can definitely think about and take care of the women around you).”
Rajeev lost his mother in 2018 after she battled cancer for nearly one-and-a-half years. At the time, the actor shared the sad news with his fans through an emotional post on social media. He had written, “My mom passed away day before yesterday after a year n a half long fight with cancer. We fought together, we hoped together but we couldn’t come out of it together. I and my family are fine and have come to terms wth it. She now lives within me.”
More about Rajeev
After a gap of nearly a decade, Rajeev returned to television with the game show Tum Ho Naa. Rajeev became a household name with his breakthrough show Kahiin To Hoga, which made him an overnight sensation with his character Sujal becoming the nation’s heartthrob. The actor then went on to do more TV shows and then followed his journey into films and OTT. He is known for projects such as Time Bomb 9/11, Sun Leyna, Left Right Left and Reporters. In 2008, he made his Bollywood debut with the film Aamir. He followed it up with projects such as Shaitan, Soundtrack, Table No.21, and Samrat & Co.
