Sujata Kumar has many reckoners to her credit. She was Devyani, the love interest of Benjamin Gilani in Hotel Kingston on Star One. For avid watchers of English serials on Zee Café, she played the bitchy Sandhya Khanna in Bombay Talking. She has also been spotted in several commercials and movies too, Salaam-e-ishq being the recent one. For the uninitiated, Sujata is the sister of singer-painter Suchitra Krishnamurty.

Recently, it came to light that the ever-bubbly actor is suffering from breast cancer. But that has not turned her pessimistic or deterred the actor from being her effervescent self.

When was her cancer detected? She reveals, "Eight months back, a little before my outdoor shoot at Cape Town for the Hindi film Kya Love Story Hai. There was a small lump and after only surgery it was confirmed to be a form of malignant cancer."

The brave actor has lost hair after enduring chemotherapy and is now undergoing radiation therapy. Speaking about her combat with the dreaded disease she wishes to send out the message, "Chemotherapy is the so-called tough battle one is warned to deal with but with a positive and
right attitude, you can overcome it. People used to frighten me with the tremendous side-effects of chemotherapy but believe me, I saw the therapy as a curing and healing method and if you have the desire to sail through life, nothing is a deterrent."

She does feel weak and her immunity level is at an all-time low. Chemotherapy treatment is associated with stomach disorders, nausea, vomiting and baldness. But Sujata affirms, "With a positive attitude and rejection of negative ideas, I kept all the unwanted troubles at bay. Yes, I have turned bald but that doesn't bother me. So what if you become bald, baby?" She says she enjoys the funny act of trying out various wigs whenever she goes over to her mother's place because, "My mom will burst out crying
if she sees me bald."

Her new movie Kya Love Story Hai with Karan Hukku, Ayesha Takia and Tushar Kapoor is due for a May release and she is looking forward to it as she remarks, "Due to my low immunity level, I have been advised to be careful so as not to contract a secondary infection. I have not been socializing for so long but now for the release of this movie I will watch it on the big screen."

On commending her for being so courageous, Sujata comes up with the classic quote, `jo dar gaya, woh mar gaya.' Be brave and accost the problem head on!"