It took actor-filmmaker Mahesh Manjrekar four years to discover the true cause of his overactive bladder — high-grade bladder cancer. “I had been treating it for a long time, thinking it was an age-related issue,” recalls Manjrekar on World Cancer Day, adding, “After about four years of torture, when I passed blood in my urine, I had my tests done and found out that I had high-grade bladder cancer.”

Manjrekar, who continued directing Antim: The Final Truth (2021) after his diagnosis and even during treatment, emphasises on the importance of early detection in the fight against the disease. He shares, “After the age of 40, I would advise people to have regular checkups. Not to treat any disease, but to check on your well-being. I lost my bladder as a result of my ignorance.”

The 63-year-old reveals that he underwent over 11 hours of surgery to remove lymph nodes, and adds that he never lost hope even once during the ordeal. “One can die from malaria or dengue too. So, why do we presume that (one will die) once you get cancer and lose all hope? I treated it like any other disease,” shares Manjrekar.

He feels one should maintain distance from people who grieve about the diagnosis of cancer and shares, “People who come to sympathise with you, tell them to go home.”

He continues, “Family and friends should be extremely supportive and not come home and cry ki ‘kya hua, kaise hua’.”

The multi-award winning filmmaker, who is cancer-free now, says he no longer takes his health for granted. “Once bitten, twice shy. A yearly checkup, tests, and a PET scan would simply help you in the long run,” Manjrekar ends.