Bangladeshi television actress Tania Brishti has returned to filming after roughly ten months away while being treated for a brain tumour, according to Channel S. In a recent interview, she said she is now considerably better than before and credited her recovery to what she described as divine grace.
Her return comes after surgery, radiotherapy and a period in which she was placed on life support. Doctors in Chennai, India, at one stage told her she might have only four and a half to five years left to live, Channel S reports.
Why it matters
Tania's case puts a public face on a treatment path that is long, physically punishing and often uncertain. She went from a sudden headache during a shoot to a tumour diagnosis, then through multiple procedures and complications, and is still undergoing chemotherapy while working again.
Her decision to speak openly about the experience also touches on something rarely discussed in the industry: the mental toll of serious illness and the difficulty of returning to a demanding job before treatment is finished.
From a headache on set to a diagnosis
According to Channel S, Tania's illness began last December, when she developed a severe headache while filming a drama. She kept working through four days of discomfort, and on the fifth day began vomiting heavily. She was taken to hospital, and tests the following day revealed a tumour in her brain.
She initially expected surgery to resolve the problem, but her condition grew more complicated. While receiving care at MGM Hospital in Chennai, she was given the prognosis about her life expectancy by an oncologist. Channel S reports that hearing this left her deeply shaken.
Before her first operation, while still in Dhaka, she was emotionally devastated and, in conversations with family members and colleagues, spoke in ways that sounded like farewells. Her condition worsened during a second surgery, and at one point she had to be kept on life support. She described being frightened by the intensive care unit when she regained consciousness, though seeing her mother and sister beside her gave her some courage.
After surgery she dealt with a range of physical problems. Because of an issue on the right side of her head, she could not even sleep lying on her left side. She also experienced severe weakness, dizziness and frequent vomiting. She has since come through the difficult period of radiotherapy.
A cautious return to work
Tania has resumed shooting in a drama titled "Angshidar," directed by Iqsan Roni, in which she plays a character named Sumi. Channel S reports that the story revolves around tensions over family property and financial dealings, with her character falling into conflict with her uncle after her father's death.
She has said that standing in front of the camera again feels like a second birth. During her long absence she missed the working environment badly and regards her colleagues as family, so coming back has been a relief emotionally as well as professionally. On her first day, the director, cinematographer and production team took extra care given her health.
The decision to return was not straightforward. According to Channel S, her doctors were initially unwilling to allow her to shoot because chemotherapy is still under way and there were concerns that the strain of work could cause physical complications. But being at home for so long had worn her down mentally, and after repeated requests she was permitted to take on one drama.
She still has about two months of chemotherapy ahead. Once treatment is complete, doctors plan to carry out MRI and CT scans to assess the current state of the tumour.
Tania has also spoken about the support she received. She highlighted her mother's role in particular, noting that with her father no longer alive, her mother stayed up at night to care for her. She said the prayers and affection of her family gave her the strength to get through the hardest period. Colleagues including Mosharraf Karim, Niloy Alamgir and producer Ali Bashir, along with many others in the drama industry, kept in regular contact.
During her illness, false reports of her death also circulated on social media.
Tania began acting in 2012 out of a love for the craft, and she has said she wants to carry her career forward with that same affection and drive. She also offered advice to others facing serious illness: do not lose heart at the name of a disease, and instead rely on mental resolve, proper eating habits, medical advice and positive time with family.
What to watch: the results of her scans once chemotherapy ends, and whether she takes on further work beyond the single drama she was cleared to film.
