Fatima Sana Shaikh recently revealed that she suffered an epileptic seizure on the set of her recent road-trip buddy drama Dhak Dhak. “It’s not a big event for me because I live with it. I have seizures and then I carry on with work. Of course, it’s difficult for somebody else to see — they care about me. Not many people have seen it happening, so, for them, it can be very traumatic,” says Shaikh, adding, “I am touched that Dia (Mirza, her co-star) cared because a lot of people don’t have the awareness. The person who goes through the episodes knows how difficult it is.”

Stressing that even though people on set were supportive, Shaikh says that the seizure struck when she insisted on finishing a shot without a break. “But if I had taken a break, we wouldn’t have gotten the shoot done. Woh location chala jata,” explains the Ajeeb Daastaans (2021) actor.

Asked if the condition has ever caused a major problem for her at work, and the 31-year-old shares, “I’ve never faced it in the film industry. People have been extremely supportive. You tell them that you have a problem and they will help you. Beyond anything, your craft is most important. Everybody has some baggage or injuries and they keep showing up.”