Indian actress Fatima Sana Shaikh, who gained widespread recognition with the 2016 film Dangal, has once again spoken about her struggle with epilepsy. She recently shared an incident from the film’s set when she experienced a seizure and received support from co-stars Aamir Khan and Sanya Malhotra.
Speaking on Soha Ali Khan’s podcast All About Her, the actress explained that during the time she was training for the movie, she often experienced “auras”—a warning sign before a seizure. At that time, however, she did not understand what the symptoms meant. She described seeing a growing flash of light on one side of her vision that gradually intensified and caused fear because she did not know when a seizure might occur.
Shaikh said that while training during the filming of Dangal, the sensation appeared again. Initially she tried to ignore it, thinking it would pass, but it became stronger. Realizing something serious was about to happen, she informed people around her that she felt a seizure coming on. Since no one on set knew how to respond, Aamir Khan, Sanya Malhotra, and their wrestling trainer Kripa Shankar Bishnoi quickly searched online for guidance and helped manage the situation.
She added that the production team later took responsibility for identifying the problem because the film’s progress depended heavily on her performance. They arranged medical tests, including MRIs and EEG scans, and took her to a neurologist in Mumbai, who prescribed medication.
However, Shaikh said the medication had strong side effects. She felt disoriented, struggled to walk normally, and experienced mood swings, including anger and depression. Because of these difficulties—especially while she was still training for wrestling scenes—she eventually stopped taking the medication without informing anyone.
The actress admitted that after stopping the treatment, she continued experiencing seizures. Out of fear that others might see her during an episode, she would hide in the bathroom whenever she sensed an aura, lock the door, and wait for it to pass. This situation continued for nearly four years.
Shaikh also recalled her earliest memory of having a seizure, which occurred during a dance class. She said she suddenly collapsed while dancing and later woke up in a hospital with little memory of what had happened. One of her classmates had tried to help by putting her hand in Shaikh’s mouth during the seizure, believing it would prevent injury, but Shaikh accidentally bit her, causing the girl to bleed.
She said the experience was frightening, as she regained consciousness surrounded by people and did not understand where she was. At the time, a doctor mistakenly suggested the episode might have been for attention or possibly related to drug use, as epilepsy had not yet been diagnosed.
On the professional front, Fatima Sana Shaikh was last seen in the film Gustaakh Ishq, where she starred alongside Vijay Varma.
source: NDTV