'Important for celebrities to share their weaknesses'
Apurva Asrani has revealed he woke up with Bell’s Palsy two months ago. He, however, says his condition is gradually improving
7 March 2018 3:44 PM GMT
Mumbai: Film writer-editor Apurva Asrani, who chose to come out with his battle with Bell's Palsy – a kind of facial paralysis – says celebrities should open up to the world about their weaknesses, too.
Asrani made the revelation about his health condition via a social media post. Here, he talks about his struggle with the illness, how it affected his work, the support he received and the road ahead.
Excerpts from the interview:
Q. Your revelation on your neurological condition has shocked everyone. What brought it on and how did you cope with it?
A. My condition is not so serious because it is reversible. But I went through a rough two months as not only is it hard to eat, drink and talk with a paralysed face, but one eye wouldn't shut and that was inconvenient.
Plus, the Palsy was accompanied by severe vertigo, so that made moving around tough for a period. But the worst part about this illness is that I had never heard about it. I knew no one who had it and I didn't know what lay ahead. Timely treatment, a beautiful family and great friends have got me through the worst. Now my face is halfway normal and I am back on my feet.
Q. That's good to hear. How much has it affected your work?
A. It was tough to edit because the right eye would go red, and moving images worsened the vertigo. I have been editing this exciting series for Excel Entertainment and their entire team has been incredibly supportive. Also, I have a good editing team in place, so we completed our duties inspite of this setback.
Q. Irrfan Khan has also written about his illness. Do you think it is more prudent to reveal one's physical condition than hide it?
A. I'm glad he wrote about it. Shows great courage, and my prayers are with Irrfan. We live in a superficial world, where everyone just wants to highlight their successes, their victories, their good times.
This puts a lot of pressure on common people who wonder, 'How come these people have such a great life, while I must suffer!'
Everyone suffers, everyone loses, and it's important for celebrities who bask in the limelight of perfection to also share their weaknesses.
We must use our celebrity to raise awareness for more than just fairness creams, fashion brands and movie promotions.
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