Akash Wadhwa (BOMBAY TIMES; March 26, 2025)
The news of Aasif Sheikh collapsing on the sets of Bhabhi Ji Ghar Par Hain! in Dehradun and being rushed to the hospital spread like wildfire on Monday. And even though Aasif has been unwell for the past one week, he says the news was blown out of proportion.
“The news of my health has been blown out of proportion. I was definitely very unwell, but the news of me being hospitalized and rushed to Mumbai is not true. I was shooting for an action sequence in Dehradun where the whole cast of Bhabhi Ji Ghar Par Hain! was shooting for the film, which is being made on the show. We have been shooting for around a month now there,” he says, adding, “There was a lot of physical stress, and my back was paining a lot. So, I went to the vanity to give my back a little rest. After relaxing for a few minutes, I got up to shoot for my sequence, and while I was walking, I had a major muscle spasm and was in a lot of pain. It was basically a sciatica pain but I couldn’t stand or walk.”
However, Aasif shot for his part with heavy medication. “It was the second last day of the shoot. I took heavy painkillers and shot for the last few scenes. Since I couldn’t stand and walk, I came back to Mumbai in a wheelchair. I am on painkillers and steroids and now I am due for an MRI today. I have been on bed rest ever since I returned to Mumbai. I am slowly recovering. I am not able to put my foot on the floor and I am still limping.”
Talking about the time spent in Dehradun, he says, “I started shooting for the film in Dehradun on February 26 and finished on March 17. The city is beautiful. We had a great time and the weather to shoot and since the weather was so comfortable, the potential to shoot becomes better for actors. We also went to Mussoorie, and it was bitterly cold and also experienced a hailstorm there. I have been to Dehradun several times before as well. I went to Ellora bakery to buy some stuff for myself and although I was heavily disguised and had my face covered, the lady at the counter recognized me.”
Apart from physical discomfort, Aasif has also suffered an emotional blow. He has lost his close friend writer Manoj Santoshi on Monday, who was also the writer of the show Bhabhiji… “I lost a very good friend,” says an emotional Aasif, adding, “My relationship with Manoj Santoshi goes back several years back. He was a great talent — a great writer. Not many people know that he was a great singer too. Hamari bahot gaane-bajane ki mehefilein bhi hoti thi. We first met each other during the show Yes Boss. For this character of Vibhuti Narayan Mishra he told me that he wrote it keeping me in mind. For the past six months he had been struggling with his health issues. And when I went to meet him in Hyderabad, I knew something majorly was wrong with him seeing his drastic weight loss. But he has left a big void in my life. More than me, Shilpa Shinde, who has been with Manoj in his fight with his liver ailment, is in a state of shock. When she called me to tell me about Manoj’s demise she was crying bitterly. She was all alone with Manoj and I have a deep respect for Shilpa — aaj ke time pe koi apna itna nahi karta jitna Shilpa ne Manoj ke liye kiya.”
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Actor Aasif Sheikh, who was hospitalized after collapsing at the shoot of his film recently, says that his “body just gave up due to exertion”
S Farah Rizvi (HINDUSTAN TIMES; March 26, 2025)
Actor Aasif Sheikh left his family, friends and family deeply worried when he recently collapsed during the shoot of his upcoming film in Dehradun. The actor was filming an action sequence on March 16, when he fainted after complaining of a searing pain on the left side of his body.
Aasif, who was rushed to a hospital nearby, has since returned to Mumbai. Sharing his health update with us, he says, “I am okay now, but full recovery will take a few more days. I am being administered injections every alternate day and have been advised complete bed rest.”
Talking about what went wrong, he says, “I think my body just gave up due to exertion. I already had slip-disc issues, and that, along with sciatic nerve pain, made my left leg totally numb. On that day, I couldn’t take the pain anymore and phir kya hua, I don’t know.”
Aasif, who is under observation, adds that he will also undergo an MRI scan. “Hopefully, I will be back in another couple of days,” he says. His upcoming film is based on his ongoing TV comedy show, Bhabi Ji Ghar Par Hai.