I used to love smoking. But you can either love life or love smoking,” says Mahesh Manjrekar. The director-screenwriter-actor was diagnosed with urinary bladder cancer last year. “I would go to the loo a lot,” says the 63-year-old. “First, I would get up twice at night and then every hour. It was horrible. Initially, I was medicated for an overactive bladder [characterised by frequent and sudden urge to urinate]. Then, I saw blood.” A cystoscopy revealed a high grade cancer. Just two years ago, he was celebrated for being at his fittest, losing 30 kg. 

“Fitness is more important than success,” he had said then.