Tannishtha Chatterjee's Cancer Journey Fuels Creative Triumph with 'Breast of Luck'
For actor Tannishtha Chatterjee, the cancer experience has been both astonishing and therapeutic within her supportive sisterhood circle. As a Stage 3 cancer survivor of nine years myself, I understand how brutally this disease attacks both body and spirit, often creating profound isolation. Chatterjee, however, has remarkably transformed this common experience of alienation into one of community and creative expression.
Turning Diagnosis into Creative Ferment
Since her diagnosis at the beginning of 2025, the 46-year-old actor has navigated treatment and arrived at remission over several months, all while maintaining an extraordinary creative output. "When you are fighting cancer, the love is everything," Chatterjee has shared with me repeatedly—a simple yet powerful sentiment that resonates deeply with anyone facing this challenge.
During this period, the acclaimed actor—known for her roles in Brick Lane (2007), Road, Movie (2009), and Parched (2015)—completed post-production work for her debut as writer-director with Full Plate. This film tells the story of a Muslim cook learning to prepare vegan food in the home where she works. Chatterjee also walked the red carpet at the 2025 Busan International Film Festival for the film's premiere, intensified her daily classical music riyaaz, and returned to her theatrical roots from the National School of Drama to co-write the play Breast of Luck.
The Birth of 'Breast of Luck'
The play premiered last weekend at Mumbai's G5A Foundation and will be performed at the YB Chavan auditorium on 4 February, World Cancer Day, as part of the annual Kala Ghoda Festival. Chatterjee's collaborator in this project is actor Sharib Hashmi, 50, whose wife Nasreen Hashmi has battled oral cancer through five facial and neck surgeries while maintaining remarkable resilience.
The two actors' friendship spans years, with initial plans for a play predating their cancer experiences. "A few years ago, Sharib and I were shooting in Dehradun for a film," Chatterjee recalls. "We had planned a two-actor play exploring art and how technology threatens creativity through contrasting characters."
The project transformed dramatically when Chatterjee received her Stage 4 cancer diagnosis. "The first two people I cried with were Sharib and Nasreen. They gave me courage," she says. "That evening itself, we tweaked our original idea to create a cancer rom-com. The structure was done, the title was decided that very day."
That night, another actor friend joined them and offered blunt encouragement: "Boobs hi to hai na, katwa lo!"—a line that found its way into the play's dialogue. "I returned home that night with a heavy heart, but also with hope," Chatterjee reflects.
A Unique Creative Collaboration
Hashmi, known for his role as JK Talpade in Amazon Prime's The Family Man, channeled his caregiving experience into co-writing the play. "It has been a very enriching experience doing this play," he shares. "We let go of rules and methods. We would sit at a cafe and jam, completely following our instinct for the story's movement."
Breast of Luck follows Sheila Roy, a classical singer maintaining artistic integrity despite Mumbai's hardships, and Arun Mohan, a stockbroker-content creator primarily interested in financial matters. Their unlikely connection deepens when Sheila's cancer diagnosis catalyzes a relationship built on compassion, support, respect, and attraction born from their differences.
The actors' contrasting styles—Chatterjee's realism complementing Hashmi's more physical, exaggerated approach—create perfect chemistry in this multimedia, multisensorial production.
Directorial Vision and Real-Life Integration
Leena Yadav, who directed Chatterjee in Parched (2015), attended an early reading and took on her first theatre directorial role with Breast of Luck. "There's no family or person today who is not touched by cancer," Yadav observes. "It is a reality we live with. Being on this journey has been emotional as well as exciting. We try to balance artistic freedom, gender, body image, masculinity, along with the harsh realities of living with cancer, and of course balance humour and intensely painful emotions."
The production innovatively incorporates real-life footage of Chatterjee's chemotherapy sessions on a large screen between scenes. Cinematographer Deepti Gupta, who directed the documentary Shut Up Sona (2019), captured these harrowing yet humorous moments in verité style, creating an emotional center that asks audiences: Do you laugh at "Tiger Tan" (as friends call her) singing ragas to endure chemo pain, or do you cry?
"I wanted Sharib to be there at the hospital sometimes, and I wanted our interactions on camera keeping the play in mind," Chatterjee explains about this intentional documentation.
Looking Forward
After two performances, the play has received significant praise and affection. "We perform in Lucknow after our Mumbai run. I hope it goes to many places," Chatterjee says. Throughout her career, the actor has avoided being pigeonholed—first as an advocate against skin-color discrimination, and now as someone defined by her cancer experience. "I definitely don't want to be known as the actor who got breast cancer!" she emphasizes.
Breast of Luck continues its run with performances on 4 February at YB Chavan Auditorium (4pm) and 11 February at PL Deshpande Auditorium (4:30pm), offering audiences a unique perspective on cancer, creativity, and human connection.
