While Akshay’s wife Twinkle is a columnist and a published author, this is the first time he’s ventured into the world of books
Emraan Hashmi turns author with The Kiss Of Life — How A Superhero & My Son Defeated Cancer, a book he has co-authored with Bilal Siddiqi. When it came to writing the foreword, he turned to Akshay Kumar. Akshay agreed and penned the note.
Says Emraan, “Approaching Akshay was something I had in my mind since January last year when I was working on the book. Hussain Zaidi, too, suggested that Akshay would be a great person to write the foreword. That just confirmed my opinion. Also, Akshay had reached out to me in my time of need. After the book was completed, I met Akshay and asked him whether he would write the foreword. He agreed immediately and wrote it in two days.”
Emraan read the foreword and was deeply moved by it. “It is very touching...very emotionally charged. It reflects the essence of the book. The book is not just about dealing with the disease, but it’s also about what we can do as a family as a unit among other things. And the foreword brings that out.”
Few people know that Akshay’s father too battled cancer. Emraan too was unaware about it. “I didn’t know that. For me, this phase has obviously had a huge impact on my family. As for Akshay, he is among the healthiest people in the industry. Through the book, we wanted to focus on various issues like why it happened in the first place and aspects like genetic predisposition and what we can do to be aware and take all necessary precautions.”
Does Ayaan know that Akshay is now a part of this venture? “Ayaan is a big fan of his. He is too young to understand what a foreword is. But he does know that Akshay has written something. My son knew that I was writing a book, but it was when we did a photo shoot for the cover that he realised that the book was actually taking shape and how it was being put together.”
Reliving the time from Ayaan’s diagnosis to treatment to leading a cancer-free life, has been a learning experience for Emraan. “Before I started writing I knew it was hellish for me to relive those 10 months. But at the same time, it proved to be so therapeutic. I had to bring out details, so often I would write about something then think about it deeply and come back with more details after a few days. Sometimes you don’t talk about certain things that you go through, but reliving it can give you a closure. I think that’s what happened with me.”
Excerpt: Akshay’s Foreword
“When I heard of Ayaan’s diagnosis, I felt as if I had been punched in the stomach. I remember I was driving at that time. I pulled over, found Emraan’s number and called him immediately because I know what it’s like to have someone you love deeply fall prey to this disease.”
What’s the book about
Emraan writes about the memories that have shaped him. The actor writes about various phases of his life from being a confused teenager to becoming a successful actor. As the book cover says, at the heart of the book lies the most important and informative experience of his life – the period when his son Ayaan was battling cancer. Ayaan was four years old when he was diagnosed with cancer. The book traces the phase of the emotional journey of Ayaan and his parents from the time of the diagnosis through the treatment to being cancer-free.
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