Salman Khan reveals he 1st felt trigeminal neuralgia pain while shooting with Lara Dutta: ‘She removed strand of hair…’
Actor Salman Khan has revealed that he first experienced the excruciating pain of trigeminal neuralgia while shooting for his film Partner with Lara Dutta. He recalled that the moment occurred when Lara removed a strand of hair from his face, adding that the pain used to ‘reduce a bit’ when he used to drink. Also read | Neurologist reveals how serious is Salman Khan’s health condition: Everything to know about trigeminal neuralgia
‘You wouldn’t want biggest enemy to have that pain’
Salman spoke about dealing with trigeminal neuralgia when he joined Twinkle Khanna and Kajol on the first episode of their Prime Video talk show Two Much. He joined the show as a guest with actor Aamir Khan. The show will premiere on Thursday.
Talking about how the pain made his everyday activities tough, Salman shared, “You’ve got to live with it. There are a lot of people living with bypass surgeries, heart conditions, and many more. When I had trigeminal neuralgia, that pain used to be… You would not want your biggest enemy to have that pain. I had it for seven-and-a-half years. It used to pain every 4-5 minutes. It would happen suddenly, while talking… It used to take me about an hour and a half to have my breakfast, and I used to go straight to dinner. For an omelet, because, I couldn’t chew it, I had to force myself, hurt myself, take as much pain, so I could get rid of the meal.”
‘Wow Lara, you’re electrifying’
Initially people thought Salman was struggling with a dental issue. He used to be on some 750 mg of painkillers and even that wouldn’t help. He added that he used to reduce a bit when he used to have a ‘drink or two’.
It was during the shooting of Partner (2007) when the 59-year-old first felt the pain. Salman shared, “I was doing Partner. Lara was there. She removed a strand of hair on my face and I felt pain. I joked that ‘Wow Lara, you’re electrifying!’ That’s when it started.”
What is trigeminal neuralgia?
Trigeminal neuralgia, also called the ‘suicidal disease’, is a chronic pain disorder affecting the trigeminal nerve in his face. It is a condition of the nerves that causes sudden, extreme, electric-shock-like pain on one side of the face. It is typically brief but intense and can be brought on by slight movements such as eating, tooth brushing, talking, or even a light breeze. It affects the trigeminal nerve, which carries facial sensations to the brain.
The disorder is idiopathic in nature, meaning there is no particular reason why it happens. But few of the known reasons include compressed blood vessels, aneurysms, or tumours in the face.
Salman underwent a surgery for trigeminal neuralgia in 2011. He spoke about his struggle with the disorder openly in 2017.
Salman Khan’s next film
Salman was last seen in Sikandar, which failed to perform too well at the box office. The actor is presently busy shooting for his much-anticipated war drama, Battle of Galwan. Directed by Apoorva Lakhia, the film revisits the real-life 2020 Galwan Valley clash between Indian and Chinese troops. The incident is now being retold as a powerful cinematic tribute to the valour and sacrifice of India’s soldiers. Salman is also seen as host of Bigg Boss 19.
