Minute details

Amarjot Kaur

It was only two years ago when Namrata Singh Gujral, the Hollywood actress and TV personality, headed to the City of Hope, a cancer research and treatment hospital in the US, complaining of frequent vomits and health issues. By this time, she had already battled breast cancer, having undergone mastectomy.

Not only was she focusing on a healthy diet post breast cancer, but she had also installed air purifiers and water filters in her house as a part of her five-year-long (NED) no evidence of disease. At the cancer awareness programme initiated by the Max India Foundation in JW Marriot, Namrata Singh Gujral talked about her battle with cancer as she picked up excerpts from the experiences she underwent in her personal life and a few from her film titled One A Minute that elaborates on the experiences of the celebrity cancer survivors.

“When I was first diagnosed with cancer, I was depressed as it happened right when my career was taking a flight, but I battled it out somehow. However, when I did not quite expect it to occur the second time around,” says Namrata. She shares that when she arrived at the hospital complaining of severe abdominal pain that could not be relieved with 10 odd painkillers, the doctors did a biopsy, telling her that if she did not undergo a treatment right away, she would only have three weeks to live.

"I even contemplated suicide when I got to know about my illness. But my daughter was a huge support system for me who was in the cheering team and would wear her nice dresses holding plank cards reading get well soon messages. Also, I made a spa out of the room I was taking treatment in," she says.,” she says. Namrata shares that she had taken her LED candles, pictures of Guru Gobind Singh Ji and Nanak Dev Ji along with CDs of kirtans and shabads to her hospital room.

“I was undergoing 24-hour-long chemotherapy and was told that I may have to go through stem cell replacement procedure too, but thankfully my body was in remission and I guess all that happened because of positive attitude and my family’s support,” she says.

Since Namrata suffered from cancer and battled it too, she was looking for ways to spread awareness about the disease.

“I feel very strongly about the issue of cancer awareness. Two of my maternal aunts lost their lives to cancer only when they were in their thirties and globally, one woman dies of breast cancer every minute. This prompted me to come up with a film on cancer awareness, thus One a Minute,” she shares. Namrata says that her friends, Lisa Ray and Priya Dutt were quite instrumental in the making of this film. The actress also launched her online channel, Thrive, which focuses on the concerns of cancer patients. “I remember all through my journey of battling cancer, I would constantly look for something that motivates me, but there was no such channel and that is the reason why I came up with Thrive,” she explains while adding that the channel features cancer specialists along with celebrities like Deepak Chopra.

While extending gratitude to the Max India Foundation for sponsoring her film and screening it, Namrata shares that she will soon be headed to Dharamshala for meditation. “Meanwhile, I have been approached for the sequel of the Bollywood film, Kaante and will be in Chandigarh soon to produce a Punjabi-English film Five Weddings,” she signs off.