Back in 2016 when Bollywood actor Fatima Sana Shaikh portrayed the role of Indian freestyle wrestler, Geeta Phogat in the sports drama film ‘Dangal’, she blew our minds away.
The sheer determination and the hard work she put in to ace the character of a wrestler are worth the applause.
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But little did we know that while she was giving this power-packed performance, she was suffering from a brain disorder. In fact, she wasn’t also aware of the severity of her condition until after an episode she woke up directly at the hospital.
Recently, during an interaction with her social media family on the occasion of Epilepsy Month, the actor spoke about it. or simply ask her if they had any questions regarding it.
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It was during this discussion that the ‘Ludo’ actor opened up about her experience. When a follower asked her how she discovered that she had epilepsy, the 30-year-old actor said it was during the shooting of Dangal.
“I came to know about my epilepsy while shooting for Dangal. I had an episode during practice, lost my senses, and opened my eyes in the hospital. I kept ignoring it for the first 5 years. And now, I have learned to embrace it, and work and live around it.”
When quizzed about how she manages work with this condition, Fatima wrote:
“They have always been very supportive and understanding. They know of the challenges they might face on the days I get an episode.”
According to her, “Epilepsy is a brain disorder that causes recurring, unprovoked seizures due to disturbed nerve cell activity living in the brain. You are often diagnosed with epilepsy if you have two or more unprovoked seizures.”
You have braved the illness and your work is testimony to that. It takes so much courage to talk about your illness especially when you’re in the public eye. Kudos to you for spreading awareness about this disorder.