A survivor of stage IV ovarian cancer, actor Manisha Koirala recently received a letter from the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, where she expressed her joy at learning that Koirala is cancer free after such a serious diagnosis and has been able to continue her professional and charitable work while inspiring many.

Ask Koirala about the letter and she says, “It gives one the strength to go on. When I was undergoing treatment, it meant a lot when other cancer patients reached out and gave me hope. I really thank (cricketer) Yuvraj Singh, (actor) Lisa Ray and a few others who came out of cancer and spoke about it. Now, it’s my time to do the same.”

Middleton, who underwent preventative chemotherapy this year, is now cancer free.

The actor, who works towards cancer care in India and Nepal, adds, “To be recognized by such an esteemed person like the Princess is a motivation to carry on with my work.”

Talking about what is required for better cancer care, Koirala says, “Cancer treatments are expensive. So, it’s important to make it available for everyone. We also need more awareness about a healthy lifestyle. Cancer is no longer a death sentence, so more education is needed.”

Calling cancer her “biggest teacher”, Koirala adds, “No matter how painful, it taught me the most valuable lessons. It’s about being proactive, pro solution, living in the moment and figuring out what gives you joy.”

Recently, when the Princess of Wales Kate Middleton announced her battle with cancer, my heart went out to her. I could sense that the family was not comfortable telling the world about Kate’s battle (at least not yet). But given the tremendous pressure and fake news doing the rounds, it seemed she had no choice but take a drastic step and put an end to all the unwarranted speculation.

When I was diagnosed with cancer, I was looking for some positive articles and there weren’t many people talking about it.

But I came out because I realized, just as I was desperately looking for hope, I needed to share it with others as well. I began reaching out to people and Lisa Ray, a cancer survivor, messaged me on Facebook. It was very comforting for me to have received a positive message from her. I remember Yuvraj Singh also talking about it, then there was a cyclist and a Hollywood actress, who spoke a little while wearing a wig. I told myself that if I ever get okay, not only will I talk about my journey but also give a truthful picture of myself. Not a flowery one.

It wasn’t a cakewalk. It was the most difficult phase of my life, but I was blessed with great family support and doctors. This encouraged me to speak about my struggle, fears as well as my recovery.

Yes, there’s fear. You are worried about how people will respond to you when you come out with your diagnosis. But it is nothing compared to the phase when you are facing death – at that moment it doesn’t matter how people look at you. Your priority is to recover. It is important to get the right information and encouragement, and I did that to help me sail through the gruelling chemotherapy. When you know you are fine and you realize that there is a 50 per cent chance of you surviving, that’s when you start thinking about your looks, the hair loss and how people perceive you now. I thought I would never be able to work again. But I was wrong.

Once I came out, I got tons of love and support. I received messages from strangers on social media. I thought that I would be judged, and people would pity me. My fears were unfounded because people were encouraging and caring enough for me to be able to go through this journey.

Which is why I am slightly uncomfortable with the way the media went all out with all the conspiracy theories and conjectures about Kate’s absence from public life. When someone is quiet about a personal matter and not reachable, you imagine the worst. And very quickly at that. Before jumping to any kind of conclusion, one must think a hundred times, because you don’t know the kind of struggle they are going through.

Unfortunately for Kate, there were so many bizarre rumours flying around that she was forced to come out, even if it may not have been her first choice. One must understand that there are some people who want to deal with something like cancer quietly because that is the best way for them to heal. For others, sharing this may be cathartic. It is a personal choice, and we need to respect that.

We woke you up on Monday morning to an exclusive, stunning picture of Sidharth Malhotra and Jacqueline Fernandez, clicked against the backdrop of the heritage CSMT at a busy traffic triangle. The sundar, susheel, risky duo had stopped over at the Bombay Times office for a quick chat that evening. Here's what transpired when team BT threw a volley of questions at the actors, out to promote their forthcoming film, A Gentleman - Sundar, Susheel, Risky. Excerpts...

Your film A Gentleman - Sundar, Susheel, Risky revolves around the dual personalities - Gaurav and Rishi - played by Sidharth. Jacqueline, if you had to lead dual lives, which other person's life would you like to lead and why?
JACQUELINE: I would like to be Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge. I love being royalty and want to marry into a royal family. Everything seems just picture perfect for her. Life will be awesome.

Between Gaurav and Rishi, which character are you closer to in real life?
SIDHARTH: Gaurav is the very typical gharelu boy who longs for a big house, marriage and family. He sells off his sports car to buy a mobile food truck so that he can look after his family in future. He's waiting for a girl to come into his life. I have no such plans and I don't even know a boy like him. I would say I'm closer to Rishi. I enjoy action and shooting guns.

Jacqueline, tell us about your experience of learning pole dance for the song, Chandralekha?
J: Actually, the idea came to us last year when we were shooting in Miami. Every single club we'd go to...
Sidharth (cuts in): You went clubbing in Miami? I was doing all the action. I had work. She was partying on her off days. Life's not fair.
J: We visited some very cool clubs from where I got my inspiration for pole dancing. Raj (Nidimoru) and (Krishna) DK, our directors, had planned to shoot a post-party song. And then we thought, 'Why not do some pole dancing?' So, I found a trainer, but for all my enthusiasm, I found it difficult right from my first lesson. I trained for two months, but as luck would have it, when we were shooting the song around 2 am, I pulled a muscle. I had to pop two painkillers and it made me really dizzy and disoriented. I was anyway battered and bruised from those two months of training. Having said that, the pain was worth it; I feel that it's really cool to do something different.

Sidharth, how is it to work with someone who is always happy and high on energy like Jacqueline?
J: Irritating!
S: I actually know when she's coming to the set because I can see it on social media. She introduced me to social media 24x7. I remember, we were in a car and I was scratching my nose or something and the next thing I know is that it's live on social media. You can't even scratch your nose when she's around. Mauka nahi milta. That was a bigger challenge while shooting with her. I had to be on guard all the time when she was around.
J: Yeah. He was really shocked. He was wondering, 'How did people get these photographs?'
S: She's always cheerful. In fact, we've referred her to some doctors, who have recommended tests. Once we know the real cause, we'll tell you.
J: It's a big mystery (laughs).

While shooting for A Gentleman..., was there ever a time when you didn't get your scenes right?
J: Yes, and it happened on the second day of the shoot. I had just finished shooting for films like A Flying Jatt and Dishoom, and was required to portray a character subtler than those. Raj and DK would keep saying, 'Jacky, go easy on her (the character). Stay calm, tone down.' On the other hand, I was used to a different way of acting. So, when they gave me a lengthy scene to enact on day two, their instruction was playing on my mind and it clashed with my style. As a result, I required some 25 retakes to get it right. I felt bad for Sid, who was part of the scene. I thought, 'Maybe I'm a bad actor' (laughs). But I've read that in Hollywood, actors take a lot of takes to perfect what they're doing.
S: Absolutely. I mean people do 50 takes, but you only see one. What stays is what people see. The rest doesn't even matter.
J: Yeah. I've read Marilyn Monroe gave some 47 takes for one line in one of her movies. Marlon Brando had given about 50 takes. They'd do it, take a break and go back into it.

What's more fun to do though - action, comedy or romance?
S: Action! Also because, I think it's great to watch an action film on the big screen. I grew up on Hindi and English action films and heroes. I was excited to perform a character that's high on action which is stylish and fun. When it's light, everyone can watch it. It gets heavier in films like Brothers and Ek Villain where the action is story-based and intense. This is more entertaining. It's tiring, though. It needs to look believable and that has its repercussions, largely because I was doing the stunts myself.

What's the riskiest stunt you've done in this film?
S: It has to be the bike chase we shot in Thailand. The streets there are as congested as Mumbai's. I had to zip through traffic without a helmet, which is not recommended. And I had to move at high pace to make it look real. While performing that stunt, I slipped - luckily not on the road, but on the sidewalk, and twisted my ankle.

Sidharth, in real life too, you're known to be very fond of your bike. Would you let Jacqueline ride it?
S: No way!

Is it because you think women have poor driving skills?
S: No, but mine is a 300-kilo bike. A true gentleman will take his lady out for a ride on that beast. Why would you let her go out on her own?

Do you go by the saying, 'Men are more possessive of their bike than their women'?
J: When I'd asked him what he is more possessive of - his woman or his bike, his reply was, 'My bike.'

Like Akshay (Kumar), why don't you use your bike more often?
S: He rides pillion on his security guy's bike. If I do that, Jacqueline will make a video and put it out on social media (laughs). She went live during our bike ride the other evening, too. I saw the video and kept wondering what she was shooting.
J: Yeah, he called me and said, 'It was just your face and smile. You didn't utter even a word.' Just for the record, that video trended. It's funny, but my entire team makes funny videos all the time.
S: Her team and she are the most social media savvy people I have ever met. I think her kids will be called Twitter, Snap and Insta. Jacky, can we take away social media from you for a week?
J: It's a part of our job. And our video went viral. People loved it.

She did similar things while shooting in Miami?
S: The entire making of our film is out on social media. I keep telling people there's still a lot more to see about the movie.

 

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Kate Middleton, who are set to embark on an official visit to India on April 10 will be welcomed by Bollywood's who's on the evening of their arrival with a charity gala in Mumbai. The Brit royals will stay at the Taj Palace Hotel, where a gala reception and dinner is being hosted in their honour. “Most of the invites have been sent out to the Hindi film industry's A-listers, including Shah Rukh Khan, Sonam Kapoor and Arjun Kapoor. Several businessmen, politicians, cricketers and socialites are also expected to attend. Ranveer Singh whose shooting schedule on a foreign location coincides with the event, is also trying to work out his dates,“ says a source close to the development. Hosted by the British High Commission, in partnership with The British Asian Trust, the gala will raise funds for three charitable organisations - Magic Bus, Doorstep, and Childline. Prince William and Kate will meet the representatives of the organisations earlier that day. “Prep has begun with Amit Chowdhury, the executive chef of Taj personally designing the lavish dinner spread which will include an array of Indian delicacies. Details about the do are under wraps due to security reasons, but Mirror has learnt that 'Baby Doll' singer Kanika Kapoor will sing some classical tracks.

Before the star-studded evening kicks off, Will and Kat will lay a wreath at the 26/11 memorial inside the hotel and meet the bravehearts among the staff who helped protect guests during the 2008 attacks, after which they will proceed to the Oval Maidan to watch a cricket match. A visit to the Banganga Water Tank in Malabar Hill is also on.

They fly to Delhi the next day to attend a birthday party for Her Majesty The Queen at the residence of the British High Commissioner for her 90th. They will also visit the Taj Mahal, Kensington Palace sources revealed. The visit will have special resonance for Prince William because his mother, the late Princess Diana, was photographed there alone an image that came to underscore the break-up of her marriage with Prince Charles.

Next up, the couple will travel to Kaziranga National Park in Assam, which is home to two-thirds of the world's population of Indian onehorned rhinos as well as the endangered swamp deer.

In Bhutan, they will meet the king and queen of the country.