Exclusive: Arjun Sen revisits his cancer battle, motivation that carried him through his toughest days, says, "be in the present, appreciate people"

Exclusive: Arjun Sen revisits his cancer battle, motivation that carried him through his toughest days, says, "be in the present, appreciate people"

Arjun Sen’s life once read like a corporate success story in motion. An IIT graduate with an MBA and a thriving marketing career in the US, he seemed firmly on track until everything changed in a single moment. More than twenty surgeries later, Arjun Sen is rewriting the idea of survival itself.

In conversation with Moneycontrol, he revisited his journey. The first question was obvious: how did he react when he learnt that his life story would be adapted into a feature film? He said, "You know, I was like a little child. I grew up watching Amitabh Bachchan movies, and I thought, it's amazing. But also, in the movie, Shoojit Sircar being the director, it was his choice. Just to be very clear, I had no choice in the decision. I was sitting on the sideline and was like wow. It was like a childlike moment, amazing."

Seeing his own journey on screen came with a wave of emotions. "It was surreal to me because as I watched the movie, a few things hit me. During the scripting, we started adding the surgeries. I've never added them in my mind because I always dealt with one at a time. And on day one, if somebody had told me that I would go through that many surgeries, I would have freaked out. But the big thing that hit me watching the movie was all the amazing people in my life, like seeing them from a side and seeing how much they cared, how much they were there. They were like the GPS of my life, the sherpas of my life. Without them, I don't know how to navigate through. That was another incredible moment. Absolutely, I loved the movie," he quipped.

Success, for Arjun, has always been tied to stories that stay with him. When asked what kind of films he liked to watch, he shared, "There are times I would like to just not think and watch a good time-pass movie. But then there are times you want to watch a movie that stays with you and makes you appreciate life. This was one of those movies. For me, it brings to mind, films like Pursuit of Happiness starring Will Smith. You relate to that success by saying, ‘This is not Arjun's story, this is any Arjun's story’."

What moved Arjun most was that messages poured in not just from people he knew, but from complete strangers who shared their stories with him. "The response has come from a huge amount of people around the world who have looked at and shared their stories with me. There are days when I thought my challenge was big, but what others go through every day and not give up. To me, in a way, the movie has helped me appreciate life and all these things. Love has come back to me," he added.

Everything changed for Arjun the day he heard the word cancer. Sharing about his journey, he revealed, "To be honest, from the hindsight, I think the movie gave me a chance to reflect because sometimes we make our own story. But the truth is I went numb. It was so unexpected. And the numbness came not from cancer diagnosis alone, but from the lack of control."

What stayed with him was not a grand epiphany but small details, like watching his hair fall during chemotherapy. "I'm not a hair person. I hand-comb. It's not that long, but losing control over my hair—things like that really scared the daylights out of me. It’s like, this train is going somewhere at this high speed, but I have no control on where it is."

Arjun insists that his strength came from people around him. "You’re giving me credit for something which I really think the people in my life should get. There were times I gave up. There were times I just told myself, ‘No, I cannot do it anymore.’ But when people around you don't give up, it just inspires you."

His favourite example is from the movie’s marathon scene where a woman cop pulls up beside him. He explained, "The coolest thing was, she starts calling and talking to the race organizers. People who had finished the race came over. And very soon, I had close to 20 people in a human bubble around me, running with me, screaming, don't give up."

That moment sharpened his life mantra: stay in the game. "To me, keep yourself in the game. Once you give up, you mentally do a handshake and the game is over. But once you keep yourself in the game, you are giving miracles a chance. There are times we do need miracles. My request to everyone is just don’t quit on yourself," he shared.

Has his life changed after the release of the film? He asserts that not much has changed, but one thing has strengthened: his trust in people. "The thing that has given me a lot of confidence in life is seeing everything. I believe even stronger that every time I walk into a doctor's office, I will leave guaranteed with a cancer-free mind. I will leave guaranteed with either one of my current people from my unquit circle, or a stranger with a hug, who will carry me forward."

And the biggest lesson he has learnt from life? "Be in the present, appreciate people, and be excited. Let's see what tomorrow brings, but at least I'm right here, fortunate, grateful, thanking you for taking time to have this conversation."

In Arjun Sen’s world, survival isn't a dramatic declaration. It’s a quiet, everyday act of choosing not to quit.