Beating Cancer Twice & Still Leading in the Entertainment Industry: My Story
April 29, 2025
Against All Odds
Namaste! I’m Archana Chauhan; people know me as the woman who beat cancer twice, limiting my existence and glorifying it as another “Inspiring cancer survival story”. But cancer isn’t my story, it’s just a part of it. So, let me reintroduce myself. Namaste! I’m Archana Chauhan; a writer, director, producer, columnist, and someone who’s known for beating cancer twice. Over the years, my life has taken many unexpected turns. I started in a 10×10 room. No connections. No stage. Just a pen, a dream, and a will to survive. Today, I’ve written over 50 plays, directed more than a thousand TV episodes, and founded my own NGO and lived an inspiring cancer survival story along the way. This is my story of survival, of setbacks, and of creating a ripple in the world of art and purpose, a story of beating cancer twice, and never giving up.
The Beginning of My Journey
From a young age I knew, if I wanted change, I had to be the one writing it. And so, I did. With pen and paper first, then through the lens of storytelling. My family had no background in literature. It was my nana ji who introduced me to the beautiful world of words through a book by Gujarati poet Amrut Ghayal. I didn’t understand it, but the spark that I felt is still there in me to this day. Later, reading feminist literature like “Saat Pagla Aakash Ma” by Kundniko Kapadia opened up a new universe for me.
The turning point in my life came the day I was filling out a school admission form for my daughter. When I had to write “12th pass” under the mother’s education section, something stirred deep inside me. I realized I wanted to offer her and myself more than just that label. Motivated by that moment, I decided to resume my studies. This was the beginning of Archana Chauhan’s journey toward rebuilding herself. I didn’t stop at graduation I went on to earn master’s degrees in two different subjects, studied NGO management, and even completed a diploma in Human Rights.
My Dream for the Industry
Initially, stepping into the entertainment industry felt nothing short of trying to climb a mountain with bare hands and being a woman made it tougher. Back then, Women Leaders in Gujarati Cinema were few and far between. Many times, when I walked into meetings or auditions, I could feel the doubt in the room, “will she be able to manage?” The constant task of having to prove double, my talent and also my determination just because I was a woman made me question myself. I began humbly; writing small plays, assisting in backstage theatre, doing anything and everything just to learn. Slowly, my work started speaking louder than my introductions. People finally began to recognize the effort. I wrote over 50 plays that were staged across Gujarat, Mumbai, and even internationally. From there, television called, cementing my place as an entertainment leader in Gujarati media. I ended up writing and directing more than 2,500 television episodes, including over 1,000 episodes for Colors Gujarati’s beloved show “Moti Baa Ni Nani Vahu”. My scripts have travelled from small community theatres to prime-time TV, touching lives, sparking emotions. A milestone in Archana Chauhan’s journey I still cherish.
Facing the Unthinkable: Beating Cancer Twice
Archana Chauhan’s cancer journey was not just a personal battle but a shared one. Beating cancer twice made me realize how fragile yet powerful life is. In 2019, just as my career was blooming,
I received news that changed everything: cancer. I panicked. I thought, “Is this it?” That moment marked the most critical beginning of Archana Chauhan’s Cancer Journey. Cancer survivor stories always sound so heroic, but reality check? Every inspiring cancer survival has its own hidden scars, they are lonely and messy and will test every nerve of your existence. I fought through surgeries, chemo, radiation. I thought I was done and resumed working but life had another test: the illness resurfaced. There were moments where even the doctors weren’t sure that I would make it. But I never let myself believe it, saying to myself, “Ye kahani yahin khatam nahi hoti.” Unlike many cancer survivor stories that end differently, mine was still being written. This condition, for me, was never just a physical illness. It was a social, emotional, and financial crisis that touched every corner of my life and every person who loved me. I didn’t fight it alone. My family, my friends, my well-wishers. They all fought alongside me. So, when people say I survived, I correct them: we survived. Together. That’s what real cancer survivor stories are made of. “Cancer isn’t my story. It’s just one part of it,” I always say. “Would you summarize a 3-hour film with just one scene? Then how can one moment define my life?”
The Stambh Initiative for The Stambh of Indian Families
Healing changes one. Beating cancer twice left me changed in more ways than one. I wasn’t able to go back to working as usual this time. I started Stambh Initiative and I fund this myself, because I feel that health is a right, not a privilege. Stambh offers free mammography, pap smears, and gynaecological checkups to women who need it most. We’ve helped over 10,000 women already, and my goal is to reach 1 million.
So, if you are a working mom, a homemaker, or someone who always puts others first, sunlo! You are the pillar of your home. If you fall, everything around you shakes. Please, take out 30 minutes for yourself. If you have time for reels, chores, or WhatsApp, you can make time for your health too. I ignored my symptoms for six months once, now that mistake has become a mission. It was one of the hardest lessons from Archana Chauhan’s Cancer Journey.
To the Women Reading This
Today, as an entertainment leader and one of the proud women leaders in Gujarati cinema, I want to speak to every aspiring writer, creator, and storyteller out there. I know what it feels like to have your name left out, your vision questioned, your work overlooked. Even as an entertainment leader, the battles didn’t stop. But don’t give up. Hold on to your dreams tight. Don’t search for shortcuts. Honest, stubborn hard work is your real ticket. And you belong here. Even if you feel like an outsider, your talent will carve its own space, just like mine did. Women, dream bigger than ever. Be the director, the DOP, the boss. We need more Women Leaders in Gujarati Cinema to bring their vision to life. You have everything it takes. And to the industry, it’s time. Let women’s names shine on posters, not as a special favour, but as a new normal. The Ripple Effect I wish to create is exactly this; a world where women are seen, valued, and celebrated for their talent. “A time will come when nobody doubts a woman’s ability to create, lead, or deliver hits.”
Final Thoughts
My journey taught me that strength is not about never failing, it’s about rising every single time. From a small room to a big set, from battling and surviving a life-threatening illness to becoming an entertainment leader in the Gujarati cinema, my inspiring cancer survival journey gave me the strength to transform every setback into a comeback. Each step was a fight I chose to win. I’m not just a survivor. I’m proof that with courage, hard work, and thodi si zidd, anything is possible. If
Archana Chauhan’s journey can spark one more dream, one more fight, then every struggle was a success because the ripple we create today becomes the waves that change tomorrow.
Share This :
