The man behind ‘I Want to Talk’: Arjun Sen on resilience & not quitting

Arjun Sen, the inspiration behind director Shoojit Sircar’s ‘I Want to Talk’, starring Abhishek Bachchan, visits Kolkata almost twice a year. As an NRI, he still carries vivid memories of the old Kolkata. At the same time, he acknowledges the significant evolution of the city, particularly with the emergence of new cafes across town. Those who have watched this gem from 2024, now also available on OTT, know about Sen’s powerful journey of surviving over 20 surgeries, including cancer and rebuilding his life with resilience and purpose.

However, Sen does not like the term ‘cancer survivor’. Instead, he calls himself a cancer winner. “Whenever I talk about cancer, I go back to the same story over and over again and it’s about the past. But so many people in my life, from my nurses and doctors to my daughter, worked hard to make me fit. That’s what makes us winners and that’s what you will find even in my book, ‘Unquit Forever’. For me, it’s not about winning one time. Survivor means I won yesterday. But I’m here to win every day,” said the author, entrepreneur and motivational speaker.

It goes without saying that Abhishek Bachchan delivered a career-best performance in ‘I Want to Talk’ and Sircar ensured that the film was not just a tearjerker but an inspirational journey as well.

A high-flying marketing professional in the USA, Sen was given just 100 days to live after being diagnosed with laryngeal cancer at 32. It was also the time his marriage had ended and he had to co-parent his three-year-old daughter. The film, therefore, explored his evolving relationship with her. Arjun made sure he took his daughter Raka’s permission before the film was made.

“She was very clear. She told me, ‘Baba, you’ve gone through a lot and let’s talk about it’. She pushed me hard. As humans, we all reach a breaking point and without Raka’s support, I wouldn’t have taken this route. When she saw the movie, she was very emotional. She knew the script beforehand because I had discussed it with her. But at the end of the movie, she said, ‘Baba, they missed the most fun dimension of you’. But you can’t do more as a film is just for two hours,” Sen laughed.

In fact, he won his battle through surgeries with his humour intact. He does not mince his words when he says that with every surgery he underwent, his chances of survival decreased. Yet he kept his humour alive, not only during his medical battles but also in his book, ‘Unquit Forever’.

“There is power in not giving up. This book is about everyone’s story of not giving up,” he said. And now, he is taking this ‘Unquit’ movement to schools and colleges across the world.

Sen also could not stop praising Abhishek and spoke about how Sircar studied him not just physically but mentally, to bring authenticity to the screen. Now that both the film and the book have been released, Sen is working on the concept of self-love.

“To many of us, self-love may seem like selfishness, but it is important,” he said.