Emraan Hashmi talks about how son’s cancer diagnosis led him to take a break from Bollywood

“That was a chaotic time in all our lives. It hit us out of the blue because there were no particular symptoms, and one day you come to know that your kid, who is 3 years old, has been diagnosed with cancer. It was an ongoing battle; thankfully my family and friends were a great support system, especially my wife,” said the actor.

READ MORE: Emraan Hashmi recalls the fateful turn of events leading to son Ayaan’s cancer diagnosis in 2014: ‘We were eating pizza…’; how parents can deal with such challenges

He talked about how his young son showed character beyond his years and said that kids deal better with a lot of stuff compared to adults. He said, “More than anything, keeping the family aside, it was my son’s resilience. He used to take his chemotherapy, and within 5 minutes he was back playing with his toys. Kids don’t let themselves get bogged down with this stuff.”

When asked about how his son’s diagnosis and treatment affected his relationship with his wife, Emraan complimented his wife, Parveen Shahani, for the grit she displayed even when he was not present to support her. “My wife was a huge support system, even while she was dealing with a lot of her own stuff. I had to come back for films, and my wife was there with him alone. The way she handled it, she is very strong, and due credit to her and our relationship and bond got stronger,” added the actor.

Through thick and thin, Emraan has now made another return to Hindi cinema with Ground Zero, a story about a valiant BSF officer, Narendra Nath Dhar Dubey. The film is set to release on Friday.