Frail and famous

Diseases don’t differentiate between the common man and celebrities, writes Smiti Munwani

Salman Khan was operated upon in August for a painful nerve disorder

n Salman Khan’s fans were on tenterhooks when the star went to the US in August 2011 to get operated for a painful nerve disorder called trigeminal neuralgia, which causes intense pain in the face. The macho star has decided to slow down and do only one film at a time.

n It’s been a year of grave concern for millions of Rajnikanth fans as health woes have continued to hound the superstar. He was admitted to a hospital twice in April 2011 due to a recurrent respiratory infection and gastro-intestinal problems. On May 31, he was rushed to Singapore’s Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre for a kidney transplant surgery.

n When Jagjit Singh was admitted to the Intensive Cate Unit of Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai recently after he suffered a brain haemorrhage,there was a pall of gloom among his friends. The attack was attributed to the singer’s high blood pressure levels. Back in 1998, he had suffered a heart attack and in 2007, he was rushed to the hospital following complications in his blood circulation.

n Four years ago, when Saif Ali Khan suffered a mild heart attack, fans were shocked and the Hindi film fraternity recoiled in disbelief. How could a seemingly healthy actor be struck by a cardiac disease? There were widespread rumours that cigarettes and bad eating habits had taken their toll.

Sunny Deol suffers from a niggling back pain

Though it is well known that many stars follow hectic schedules and live out of the suitcase, the truth is that lifestyle problems do not distinguish between ordinary people and celebrities. Since the celebrities are constantly in the public eye, the stars are far better at camouflaging the pain and suffering than ordinary people.

Take the case of Amitabh Bachchan. Back in 1984, he went down to myasthenia gravis — an autoimmune neuromuscular disease of the nerves — when he was felled by a punch of co-star Puneet Issar during the shooting of Coolie. And although he has fully recovered, he is often in the news for other health problems. In 2008, he spent his birthday in Mumbai’s Lilavati Hospital, where he was rushed after complaining of abdominal pain. In September, Amitabh had again tweeted about a minor accident on sets.

Injuries are common to most actors. Shah Rukh Khan’s surgery two years ago after he hurt his shoulder during the shooting of Dulha Mil Gaya is well known. And though he shot the song "Marjaani.." from his film Billu in excruciating pain, no one in the audience ever came to know — a testimony of how good an actor he is.

After a spinal and shoulder surgery, Shah Rukh Khan is now struggling with a knee injury

Lucy Ball of Here’s Lucy fame had battled osteoarthritis

Jagjit Singh was admitted to ICU following a brain haemorrhage

Stars like Sharon Stone (Above) and Elizabeth Taylor, who won or were nominated for the Best Actor/Actress Oscar Awards, have suffered either a stroke or heart attack

But that wasn’t the first time that Shah Rukh has had a brush with hospitals and doctors. Back in 2003, he underwent a spinal surgery in London for excruciating backache. Now he is struggling with a knee injury but has postponed surgery till the release of Ra.One.

Sunny Deol has been suffering from a niggling back pain for long. Such was the excruciating pain during the making of Yamla Pagla Deewana that the shooting had to be stopped when he was hospitalised. The macho actor has just learnt to live with it, considering it comes back to hurt him at the slightest provocation. Even a sneeze can make it re-appear.

Veteran filmmaker, Hrishikesh Mukherjee, who directed Amitabh Bachchan in such blockbusters like Mili, Chupke Chupke, Abhimaan and Namak Haram, was crippled by arthritis and suffered from it for more than 40 years. He died in 2006. In 1961, he directed two superhits Anupama and Asli Naqli from his wheelchair. He had surgery in both his knees.

But do you think any star would admit to him or her suffering from arthritis? Perish the thought. Even if a star has it, be sure he or she is not going to announce it from the rooftops.

In Hollywood, however, there is more openness about the disease. An A-list superstar, Kathleen Turner (The War of the Roses, Wish You Were Here) has been battling rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which attacked all her joints. After a long time, she received a confirmed diagnosis of RA, and was put on a cocktail of medications, including cortisone. Finally, she turned to alcohol, instead of painkillers, but she knew the relief was only temporary.

Eventually, thanks to a doctor friend she took part in a medical trial for a drug that had not yet had FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approval. On his advice, she also started swimming to get the blood flowing and encourage movement in the joints, and to use lightweights to build up her muscles and take pressure off the joints.

The superstar of the 1950s and the 1960s Lucy Ball (Here’s Lucy), too, battled osteoarthritis for long periods of time. However, she, too, resorted to an unconventional line of treatment to be able to lead a normal life. Though she was plagued by the problem most of her life, she never let it effect her skyrocketing career as the best comedienne of the small screen. And while she suffered till her death in 1989, she continued to make people laugh.

Saif Ali Khan had a mild heart attack four years ago. Cigarettes and bad eating habits had taken their toll

Dave Prowse – the actor best known for his portrayal of Darth Vader in the Star Wars movies – has been suffering from osteoarthritis since he was 13. He suffered from a rare form of juvenile arthritis and was prescribed exercise.

His doctors advised swimming, but he did not like it. Instead he took to bodybuilding. In 1960, he took part in the Mr Universe contest and two years later he won the British championship of heavyweight lifting. Thanks to the intense weight training and other exercises, his osteoarthritis disappeared. In 1990, however, the disease returned and he had to have the first of many hip replacement surgeries.

Diseases don’t differentiate between the common man and celebrities. — NF