11 Cancer Survivors Share Stories Through Comedy Show At India International Centre
Eleven cancer survivors aged between 32 and 62 took to the stage at the India International Centre in Delhi on Saturday to share their personal struggles and experiences through a comedy and storytelling show titled 'Comedy in Chaos'. Conceptualised by breast cancer survivor Rohini Khuller and presented by Ruchi Chadha, the event aimed to normalise conversations around cancer by using humour, anecdotes, and performance to connect with the audience.
The show was divided into three distinct segments, beginning with a talk show where performers Nandita Thakur, 59, Jenus Pannu Kohli, 45, and Ujala Makhija, 46, spoke about the well-meaning but often overwhelming advice they received to "be positive." Kohli, who was diagnosed with three types of breast cancer in 2003 and later diagnosed with brain cancer in 2025, joked about being "triple positive" during her diagnosis. She is currently undergoing treatment.
The second segment featured a play written by Manisha Kapur, 56, who also played the lead role of Manu Punjabi, a Punjabi woman newly diagnosed with breast cancer. The performance focused on the complex emotions and medical terms a patient encounters post-diagnosis, weaving 20 to 21 medical terms into a humorous narrative of misunderstanding and coping.
The third segment, titled "Bal bal bach gaye, but bal nahi bache," addressed the common side effect of chemotherapy-induced hair loss. Moderated by Rajneesh Singh, 62, the only male performer in the group and a colon cancer patient, the segment featured Khuller, Shruti Dhruva, 56, and Astha Funda, 32, sharing their first-hand experiences of losing hair and receiving unsolicited health advice, such as drinking turmeric milk. Thakur also recalled shaving her head and being nicknamed "baldilocks" by others.
Khuller, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020 and has served as the director of consultancy Turning Point Learning Pvt Ltd since 2011, stated that the show had been in development for nearly five years. She noted that the project began taking active shape in April after she posted a message to her group proposing a stand-up comedy event.
The evening concluded with a performance by the band Dirty Class, who played a song written by Kapur titled 'Sab Kuch Changa Hai Ji'. The performance brought the survivors to their feet to dance and sing, supported by an audience of over 100 friends, family members, and medical professionals, including Dr. Aditi Chaturvedi, a breast oncoplastic surgeon at Apollo Hospital, Delhi.
