Mumbai: Writer Apurva Asrani, who penned the critically acclaimed drama 'Aligarh,' has revealed he woke up with Bell's Palsy -- a condition that leaves the face partially paralysed -- two months ago. He, however, says his condition is gradually improving.
Asrani, who also had an infamous fallout with filmmaker Hansal Mehta over the writing credits for 'Simran,' shared a Facebook post on his condition and shared a few photographs of himself during various stages of the illness.
"Almost two months ago, I woke up with the right side of my pace completely paralysed. Fearing a stroke, I was rushed to the hospital, and after an MRI ruled that out, my condition was diagnosed as Bells Palsy -- where the facial nerve is inflamed, causing loss of muscle movement," he shared.
"What causes this is still a mystery, but they gather that it could be a viral infection. Stress is a major factor and god knows I had more than my share of that in 2017," Asrani wrote.
It was just last year that he had raised an objection to actress Kangana Ranaut taking "undue credit" as "co-writer" of "Simran", leading to a heated controversy. Asrani was also among those who stepped down from the Indian Panorama jury of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) jury over the exclusion of controversial Malayalam film "S Durga."
Asrani said the Bell's Palsy condition is reversible, but he has been through a tough time.
"But it could take weeks, months or even years in some cases. Mine was accompanied by severe vertigo, and I couldn't stand without falling over," he further added.
"After taking antivirals, steroids and doing weeks of physiotherapy and acupuncture, there was still no thaw. One senior neurologist told me to be prepared that if there was nerve damage, I might never recover from this."
"Fortunately after a harrowing month, the face finally began to thaw. Everyday there is a little progress, tiny little twitches that promise to grow into something more significant tomorrow. And I wait patiently. I am certain that in the next few months," he added.
Asrani said the fear has been "indescribable."
TellyChakkar wishes the talented writer a whole lot of courage and a speedy recovery!
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