• Home
• /
• Entertainment

Star trauma

It’s not all hunky-dory for the stars! City Timess gives you the most traumatic experiences faced by our Bollywood stars. Those invincible human beings have had some frightening experiences too

ZAYED KHAN’S life changed after the horrifying incident when his dad’s sets of ‘The Sword of Tipu Sultan’ caught fire in 1989. Apart from a lot of financial losses, his dad was very badly burnt in that accident. Says Zayed, 'Till that day, I was a carefree guy who was not that interested in studies and did whatever I felt was right. But after this incident, I got more serious about life. I promised my mom that I would study hard and make a name for myself. And I did just that, even going abroad for further studies. My dad’s accident affected more than I can imagine.'

Neha Dupia almost lost her vision in a freak accident while playing badminton. The shuttle-cock hit her right eye, causing blood clots which made her lose her vision for almost six months! Says Neha, 'My family and friends were very supportive and pampered me completely. The doctors felt I should have some kind of surgery but I refused to have anything done. It was through sheer determination that I slowly but surely regained my sight. This really taught me the value of life and the importance of all our senses, be it hearing, walking, talking or seeing. It made me wish that more than being rich and famous, I wanted to be 100 per cent human.'

Hrithik Roshan’s most frightening moment was when his father was shot at while sitting in his car. Says Hrithik, 'It was really sad and traumatic at the time. My father suffered allot. My mum was so brave. And the amount of love that we received from the people was amazing. I think being able to handle that and overcome it, helped me and our family to emerge stronger. So I look at that as a blessing in disguise. I feel gratitude to God for giving us the grace to get even closer as a family.'

Pooja Bedi had a traumatic incident when she was a child and has never been able to get over that. She still gets nightmares when she recalls the incident! Says Pooja, 'As a child, I fell from a cliff, along with a man who was trying to save me. Though I landed safely, this man in his attempt to save me fell hard on a sharp rock and his skull split open in two. We rushed him to the hospital. For the next week or so, I kept dreaming about that man as I felt I was responsible for his condition. But later I got to know that thankfully, he was safe after a surgery and was hale and hearty. I learnt to treasure life after that.'

Rajpal Yadav learnt the lesson of his life when he drank too much! He was out with a few friends when he had too many drinks. The mistake he made was that he was drinking on a totally empty stomach. 'The effect was so bad,' says Rajpal 'that it went to my head. I started abusing my friends and misbehaved with them. It was only the next day that I learnt of what I had done. Obviously most of my friends were upset with me because I must have behaved very badly. I was extremely embarrassed and saddened by the incident. Though it took me a lot of time to get over this, it wisened me up. I have never got into the same state since then. It’s a lesson I will never forget.'

Tanushree Dutta who was ecstatic when she won the Miss India contest, was traumatised by her dad’s illness just when she was about to represent India at the Miss Universe pageant. She was excited about her parents coming to see her take part in the pageant when she heard that her dad got jaundice and her parents had to cancel their trip. 'I was unbelievably upset that I couldn’t be with him while he was suffering. I barely got to spend four hours with him before leaving for the pageant. Throughout the contest, my thoughts were on my dad’s well-being. It was probably the most trying and traumatic phase of my life – the choice between being with my Dad and the most important event in my life,' says Tanushree. She more than made up for it on her return and spent all her time with him.

Sneha Ullal had two really bad experiences in life. The first was when her pet dog suddenly died. She comes from a family of dog lovers. 'We all went into a major depression after that,” she says. The second and worse incident in her life was when she discovered that her mom had a cancerous growth in her stomach. 'She would always complain of a pain in the abdomen but neglected going to the doctor despite us telling her to. When we finally discovered the illness, it came as a sudden shock to us. But thankfully, it was not at an advanced stage and she recovered in some time. This episode has made me more responsible towards small issues that have to be dealt with in time before it’s too late,' concludes the young actress.

Aftab Shivdasani had the most dreadful experience during the recent floods in Mumbai when he was diagnosed with Leptospirosis and had to be hospitalised! During the floods he had to walk in hip deep dirty water from the airport to his home in Bandra which is quite a distance. On the roads there were thousands of people who were also wading through the water. The situation was completely chaotic. 'Thankfully, I was not alone. John Abraham was with me and both of us walked through the water and also travelled by the best bus and all this without any security or bodyguards! Of course, we were mobbed at times but people in general were very helpful. We were tired, hungry, and obviously scared of the entire situation. Once I reached home, I collapsed and was diagnosed with Leptospirosis. Whenever I think of this experience, it really scares me.'