12 October,2026 06:44 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Sonali Bendre pic via Instagram
Sonali Bendre recently talked about her cancer journey and the approach she took during the treatement. At the grand premiere of Kon Honar Crorepati, the Marathi version of Kaun Banega Crorepati hosted by Madhuri Dixit, the actress shared how she understood her body, treating it with love and finding lessons in one of the most challenging phases of her life.
During the episode, Madhuri appreciated Sonali for overcoming the illness. Sonali, however, shared a different approach, stating that she had never chosen to look at it as a challenge. Instead, she emphasised understanding her body, treating it with care and learning from one of the toughest times.
Reflecting on her experience of dealing with cancer, Sonali said, "I mean, you know, actually, we always say that someone has overcome cancer. 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 stated that her approach to the disease involved changing how she looked at her body and the pain she was going through. She explained why the language of fighting or overcoming cancer made her feel against her own body. The actress said, "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 ourselves? 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."
After being declared cancer-free in 2021, Sonali made a comeback to acting. She continued to explore a variety of roles across films and television. She recently starred in web shows like Raakh and The Broken News. She also turned host for the reality game show Pati Patni Aur Panga with comedian Munawar Faruqui.
