Kubra Khan reveals she had a cancer scare while online trolls were fat-shaming her

We know a lot about characters on screen because we watch their lives play out in front of us but rarely do we get to look behind the actor's mask and see the person inside. Kubra Khan got candid in a recent interview and revealed she'd had a cancer scare earlier this year that overlapped with some weight gain. This resulted in her being fat-shamed online, which in turn shattered her confidence.

In an interview with Something Haute, Khan discussed her acting journey at length. Talking about her character Mashal in Hum Kahan Ke Sachay Thay, she revealed what her life looked like off camera, mentioning a cancer scare in January this year. She got operated on for a lump that was found before it could turn into something dangerous.

She said while this was happening, she'd gained weight from emotional eating and was playing her role in Hum Kahan Ke Sachay Thay, and then had to deal with people question her worth and casting choice, calling her 'fat' not knowing what was going on behind closed doors.

The Sang-e-Mar Mar actor explained how all of this shattered her confidence and made her feel smaller than a particle of dust, making her ignore her doctor's orders to avoid exercise and dieting during her post-op recovery period.

The actor highlighted the need to be kind and spoke about the power of sharing stories, giving an example of a woman who came up to her and told her "I am alive because Hum Kahan Ke Sachay Thay came out at the right time because the life Mashal lived is the life I'm living everyday. I feel like anything and everything I try is never good enough."

Diving into the intricacies of antagonist Mashal's character, Khan said Mashal was more than just an evil character and our audience has become more emotionally intelligent because they grasped that behind the facade, Mashal was hurting. All the charades were just to protect the little girl inside.

She also spoke about how the stories in TV shows are not entirely fictional, they're inspired by real life. "This is not just acting, this is making a difference in peoples' lives. When I realised this, that's when I fell in love. If it doesn't make a difference, then at least it’ll make someone smile."

Commenting on stories leaving the screens and building real life narratives, she added that "people are able to talk about this because we made it normal to talk about it." She said she’s received DMs from both men and women talking to her about the impact her roles have had on them.

Speaking about her acting journey, she said she stumbled into it after others pushed her towards it and that it kept coming back to her despite her straying from it. "I never chose acting, acting chose me," she said.

Khan also hinted at a big reveal in the finale of Hum Kahan Ke Sachay Thay, which is nearing the finish line.