Larger-than-life action sequences, glamm red-carpet avatars, paps and fans chasing them—well, that’s the seemingly fabulous lives of Bollywood celebs. We say seemingly because even the brightest movie stars have dull, dark moments in real life. Unfortunately, some of them brave painful diseases to entertain us on screen. Case in point: these eight B-town celebs who suffer from rare health conditions:
Salman Khan
Salman opened up about his battle with trigeminal neuralgia, aka suicide disease, while promoting Tubelight in 2017. The actor revealed how this rare condition associated with the inflammation of trigeminal nerve in the face, made him suffer from intense pain. He shared that it can trigger suicidal tendencies in patients and now he is working on himself to overcome it.
Samantha Ruth Prabhu
Last year, Samantha shared that she suffered from an autoimmune disease, called myositis, with an Instagram post. In this rare condition, one’s immune system attacks their muscles, causes recurring swelling, and renders them weak. The actress has taken a year-long break and is all set to fly to the US for her treatment in August. Here’s wishing her a speedy recovery.
Varun Dhawan
Varun Dhawan spoke about his ongoing battle with vestibular hypofunction during the Jugjugg Jeeyo promotions. The actor shared how it disrupts communication with the brain and disturbs the body’s balance, leading to nausea, dizziness, vertigo, and motion sickness.
Yami Gautam
Yami Gautam took to Instagram and spoke about her struggle with keratosis pilaris, a condition that causes recurring dry, rough patches and small red bumps on the skin. She revealed how she made peace with her “imperfections” and decided to talk about it openly instead of concealing the marks and patches with makeup.
Hrithik Roshan
In 2013, Hrithik’s fans were shocked after the actor tweeted that he was to undergo brain surgery at the Hinduja Hospital. Later, his father revealed that he incurred a series of serious head injuries while shooting stunts for Krrish 3, which led to a condition called chronic subdural hematoma. It occurs when blood and its by-products collect between the surface of the brain and its outermost covering (the dura). Now, this can go undetected for weeks after the bleeding starts and can cause brain hemorrhage if not treated on time.
Amitabh Bachchan
We all know about Big B’s infamous spleen injury from his Coolie days. The actor bounced back from coma post his surgery. But soon after this near-death experience, he was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis, a chronic autoimmune, neuromuscular disease that renders the skeletal muscles weak.
Fatima Sana Shaikh
You might have got a glimpse of how epilepsy can affect one’s life in Varun Dhawan–Janhvi Kapoor starrer Bawaal. But actress Fatima Sana Shaikh suffers from this rare condition in real life. She opened up about how it started post her debut in Dangal and has slowed down her pace of work. For the unversed, epilepsy is characterised by regular seizures triggered by a sudden temporary change in the electrical functioning of the brain. Fatima has taken to regular workouts and a healthy lifestyle to gain back her strength.
Saif Ali Khan
Back in 2007, Saif had a minor heart attack and the ensuing tests revealed that he suffered from a myocardial infarction (MI). Colloquially known as a heart attack, it is a hereditary disease that can decrease blood flow to a part of the heart called the myocardium. It may go undetected or even cause instant death. Thankfully though, the actor follows a healthy lifestyle and takes proper medication to keep this condition in check.
More power to these stars for working hard despite their health issues. Here’s hoping that they recover soon and continue to entertain us for life.
Featured Image: Twitter
