Vicky Kaushal’s father Sham Kaushal says he thought about 'jumping from 3rd floor of hospital' after cancer diagnosis

In 2003, Sham Kaushal had to undergo surgery, following which he found out that he had cancer. He said people in the hospital room seemed extremely worried.

Vicky Kaushal’s father and action director, Sham Kaushal was shocked when doctors told him about the cancer diagnosis, saying his chances of survival are bleak. The news was so crushing that, at one point, he considered taking his own life.

Sham Kaushal's son Vicky Kaushal is married to Katrina Kaif. (Instagram)

Sham Kaushal reveals

During a conversation on a podcast with Aman Aujla, Sham Kaushal said that his reaction to the news was to contemplate jumping from the third floor of the hospital. He looked back at a surgery he had to undergo in 2003, following which he found out that he had cancer. He shared that the people in the hospital room seemed extremely worried, with the doctor telling him that he wouldn’t survive.

Sham said, “They informed me in the evening, and at night, I had this wild thought of jumping from the third floor of the hospital where my room was situated. I didn’t make the decision out of weakness, but thought, when I have to die anyway, why not now? But I couldn’t move due to the pain post-surgery.”

In his hospital room, Sham shared he prayed that God take him then and there as he had lived a good life. Following that emotional conversation with himself, Sham said that he is not afraid of dying.

He added, “After the conversation, I overcame the fear of death. The next morning, I gained the hope that it is a matter of a couple of surgeries and I shall be alright. After this incident, my outlook towards life changed. It strengthened my willpower. They did several tests and surgeries for the next one year. I stayed strong. Luckily, the cancer had not spread in my body. I had asked God to bless me with 10 more years, but today it has been 22 years. That phase changed my life. I met several good people. I received good work. My kids have been doing well. I grew in life.”

What do we know about Sham

Sham worked as a stuntman for many years before getting his big break as an independent action director in 1990. He has been working in the industry for over four decades and has contributed to films in Bollywood and Hollywood. His first movie as an action director was Indrajaalam (1990), a Malayalam film.

In Bollywood, Sham has worked as an action director in films such as Gangs of Wasseypur (2012), Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013), PK (2014), Padmaavat (2018), Sanju (2018), Tiger Zinda Hai (2017), and Simmba (2018). He has also worked on international projects such as the Academy Award-winning film Slumdog Millionaire (2008).

Both his sons: Vicky Kaushal and Sunny Kaushal are working in Bollywood. Vicky is married to actor Katrina Kaif.

Note: Discussing suicides can be triggering for some. However, suicides are preventable. A few major suicide prevention helpline numbers in India are 011-23389090 from Sumaitri (Delhi-based) and 044-24640050 from Sneha Foundation (Chennai-based).