When I came to know about the news that Emraan Hashmi was writing a memoir something I was
sure about that this untitled book will have the letter kiss in it. Well my guess was not superfluous. The book indeed is titled The kiss of life. But the book is not at all like his movies. In fact it has been written by Ayaan’s father and not by actor Emraan Hashmi

Very recently I have finished reading Yuvraj Singh’s book The Test Of my Life where he pens down his fight with the deadly disease cancer and uses the opportunity to thank people who helped him, thrash those who tried to cash on it and to present his side of story in related to many controversies he was involved. The Kiss of Life by Emraan Hashmi is also very similar to Yuvraj Singh memoir but with a difference.

Being a mother of a one year old, I was always in tears while reading about Ayaan Hashmi, the only child of the actor Emraan Hashmi and wife Praveen, who was diagnosed with the 2nd stage Wilms Cancer a rare case of kidney cancer found in children. It was like I could feel the pain of Emraan and his wife. I kept reading the book and
kept looking at my son thinking I could never bear to see my child in pain. No parents can. Akshay Kumar’s foreword was equally touching.

Ignorance along with innocence is such a bliss for kids. Ayaan though was aware about his disease but couldn’t fathom the deadliness of it.He remained to his cheerfulness throughout the treatment which also has its positive effect on him. Something which is not possible with elders who knows what cancer can do and dies much before death engulfs their life. The thought of cancer sucks life out of them. But not in the case of Ayaan. Though cancer gave him nightmare but according to Emraan his life along with theirs is slowing coming back to normalcy.

The book would have been a melancholy to read hadn’t Emraan included his story into it. Every alternate chapter was about Emraan’s episodes of life. His initial carefree years, movies, tagged as serial kisser, wife Praveen, his parents and family. Though I was not much interested to read about his story but reading it was a relief from the heart wrenching pain from thinking about Ayaan. The book become so heart rendering at times that one could come close to tears.

Suddenly came a chapter in the book which made reading the book worthwhile. Throughout the book Emraan kept saying he has done a lot of research on cancer while his son was going through the treatment. Well he has shared his research and finding which was completely worth a read. Something was missing from Yuvraj’s autobiography
as he was busy harping about his own life. I think Emraan did it out of fatherly duty.

I know refine sugar is very bad for health but “Sugar Feeds Cancer”, as Emraan writes in the book, was a new piece of information for me. Sugar is a deadly ingredients in our kitchen which we all consume religiously. Sugar eaten by cancer patient is like feeding cancer cells. Along with this Emraan has also shared some other findings related to cancer. These information could prove to be very valuable for a person suffering from this disease along with people in general.

Emraan has also shared alternative options to chemotherapy which was quite a read but honestly it needs guts to try them on. Also we can’t make our love ones guinea pigs of our findings. I remember reading in Steve Jobs biography by Issac Newton that Steve Jobs when diagnosed with cancer refuse to get it treated in conventional way and instead opt for other options which resulted in tumor spreading throughout his body and claiming his life which could have been saved easily as it was a 2nd stage malignant. Even Yuvraj tried acupuncture to avoid chemo but to no avail.

I, also, particularly liked one more chapter where Ayaan runs a school race only after three months of the completion treatment was truly inspiring. That one chapter could beat hundreds of self help and motivational
books.

The Verdict: All in all the book was tear-jerking to read and Emraan’s sharing his finding made this book valuable quite unlike his movies which are purely for entertainment without any sense. There is no take away from his movies but not this book. A must read.

Also I wish Ayaan a pink and extremely healthy future.