The Family Man actor Sharib Hashmi reveals wife Nasreen’s oral cancer has relapsed for the sixth time

Actor Sharib Hashmi, who is best known for playing special agent JK Tapade in Amazon Prime's original series The Family Man, has revealed that his wife Nasreen’s oral cancer has relapsed for the sixth time. Nasreen has been a five-time oral cancer survivor since she was first diagnosed in 2018. The couple are bravely putting up a fight as Nasreen deals with the disease.

‘This shall pass too’

The couple recently spoke to Hautterfly about their relationship and Nasreen’s long cancer battle.

"She has undergone surgery five times now. She has relapsed five times. It has come back for the sixth time. This time it has spread everywhere. This shall pass too—the treatment is going on. Jis tareeke se ye deal kar rahi thi, usse hum sab ko himmat fir milne lagi. Uska jo cancer hai, kaafi aggressive nature ka hai, isliye itni baar relapse hota hai, lekin uske bawajood bhi ye kaafi himmat ke saath ussey deal karti hai. Fight karti hai (The way she deals with it gives us the courage. The cancer is very aggressive, hence it has relapsed so much. But still, she has been fighting so well)."

Nasreen shared how he has been a rock-solid support during the crisis.

"He didn't leave my side. Even if there was a shoot and he was busy, he still manages to reach the hospital. From the time we are in the hospital till discharge, he would take his bag and sit there. He would not move. Constantly, him being there used to feel very good to me—that he is there for me. That was comforting. In many ways, he has been there," Nasreen said.

Sharib Hashmi and Nasreen faced several ups and downs

The couple married in 2003 and are parents to a daughter and a son. The pair admitted that they have seen a fair share of struggle together. Sharib quit his job at MTV to pursue acting full-time. The initial years of struggle saw the couple selling their home and Nasreen’s jewellery to stay afloat.

The couple also spoke about a time when the bad times stretched for so long that Sharib Hashmi ended up blaming his wife.

Nasreen Hashmi said, “There was a moment when he was very disappointed. And he started telling me, 'Why did you allow me to quit my job? If you'd stopped me, then this crisis wouldn't have happened.' At that time, I was shaken. How can you say such a thing? It's your dream, but we've supported you as a family. There should be no regrets. Don't say such a thing again.”

"So there came a point when I thought I'd ask Sharib, 'How much more time do you think you need to give this? Because your share of 15 years that you spent struggling are now past us. Now we need to look after our children's future as well. Their needs are increasing,'" revealed Nasreen.

Sharib asked for another two years, and then The Family Man happened. Since then, the actor has been part of acclaimed projects such as Pagglait (2021), Tarla (2023), Fighter (2024), The Diplomat (2025) to name a few, and shows like Asur and Scam 1992 with two more seasons of The Family Man. He has Priyadarshan's Haiwaan up next, which has Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan in the lead.

Most recently, Sharib was seen in Vir Das directorial Happy Patel: Khatarnak Jasoos.