Sharib Hashmi has been at his wife, Nasreen Hashmi’s side as her cancer has relapsed for the sixth time now. While it has been a difficult time for the family, the actor insists they are trying to keep a positive attitude. “I am just trying to keep my mind in a positive frame, otherwise it will become very difficult for me to deal with. The treatment is underway and thankfully she is responding to it positively. My wife is a big fighter and seeing her spirit gives us hope too. But it is a long journey as the cancer has spread all over the body,” Sharib Hashmi says.
Nasreen was diagnosed with mouth cancer in August 2018 first and since then, has had five surgeries to remove tumours. While she was in remission since her last surgery in September 2024, her cancer relapsed in February this year. “Unhe do-dhai mahine se khaansi chal rahi thi and at that time, everyone was coughing due to the poor AQI. So, we thought it may be because of that. We got an X-ray done too, and there was no problem in it. But in mid-Feb, she got a blister in her mouth, and we immediately rushed to the doctor who asked us to get a biopsy and PET scan done. And in that, the new diagnosis was made,” he shares, adding that earlier the cancer was just in the mouth, but now it has spread to the lungs, bones and even near the heart and liver.
Nasreen is currently undergoing immunotherapy and chemotherapy with the doctor that actor Tannishtha Chatterjee is also taking her treatment with and recommended to them. Sharib informs that surgery is no longer an option for Nasreen this time due to the extent of cancer spread, and it is also taking a financial strain on him. “Main zyada se zyada samay uske saath bitata hun par mujhe paise bhi kamane hain as the expenses now are exorbitant. I need more work so that I can afford to pay my wife’s medical bills as even my insurance can’t cover the amount this treatment costs,” he says.
Sharib shares that he isn’t concerned about the quality of work at the moment but at the quantity of it. “I can’t afford to say no to any work right now as even last year didn’t go well financially for me, and this year has started on this note. I am looking out for more and more work, so that I don’t have to think about the cost of the treatment my wife needs. We are looking at doing target therapy post the current treatment regime, and it’s going to be very expensive. I am hoping to be able to afford it on my own,” he says.
Ask Sharib how his kids are taking the situation and he shares, “We both explained the situation to the kids together. Our son is a bit older and he understands the gravity of the situation, but due to this cancer, I feel they both matured before their time. They have seen our struggle since 2018, so it would have impacted them too, but a lot of things they don’t even tell us thinking of our situation.” For now, the actor is just trying to be “happy, strong and think positively” and hoping for his wife to come out of this situation happy and well.