Sonali Bendre opens up to Madhuri Dixit about finding strength during her cancer journey

Mumbai: Actress Sonali Bendre opened up about her cancer journey and why she chose to understand her body rather than view the experience as a battle to be won.

During the grand premiere of the marathon version of Kaun Banega Crorepati, titled as Kon Honar Crorepati, hosted by Madhuri Dixit, Sonali spoke about learning to treat her body with love and finding lessons in a difficult phase of her life.

During the conversation, Madhuri acknowledged Sonali’s courage through her cancer journey and the strength she displayed while navigating the difficult phase.

Madhuri says in Marathi, which translates to English, “You’ve had so many different experiences. And we also got to see a new side of you when you overcame cancer. We got to see you emerge as a strong Sonali.”

Responding to Madhuri’s words, Sonali explained that she never approached her experience as a battle she had to win. Instead, she focused on understanding her body and learning from what she was going through.

“I mean, you know, actually, we always say that someone has overcome cancer”

She further elaborated, “But, all jokes apart, we say all these things while laughing and joking. But at that time, the actual intention was not to overcome it. It was to understand why this was happening and what I could learn from it. And trust me, I actually learnt a lot from it. And that is how I looked at it.”

Sonali also explained why she feels the language of fighting and overcoming can sometimes create a sense of conflict with one’s own body.

“Because I feel that when we say we have overcome something, it somehow feels like a fight. There is a sense of negativity somewhere. And, after all, it is our own body, isn’t it? The cancer cells are also our own cells. So, how can we fight with ourselves?”

Reflecting on the approach she adopted during this challenging period, Sonali shared that she chose to treat her body with love and compassion, even when the experience brought immense pain.

“So how do I love my body the way it is? And I thought that maybe I should treat it with love. It’s very difficult to love something that was giving you so much pain. But I think that's probably what worked for me. And that’s where it went.”

Madhuri was further seen lauding Sonali for her resilience and strength on the grand premiere of Kon Honar Crorepati which will air on October 12 at 9 PM.

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