Click here to follow Screen Digital on YouTube and stay updated with the latest from the world of cinema.
© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd
Tags:
After making her on-screen debut with Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai, Tannaz Irani went on to appear in several major films, including Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai, Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein, Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon, Kuch Naa Kaho and 36 China Town. She also made a mark on television, appearing in popular shows like Bigg Boss 3 and Maa Exchange. However, in 2021, Tannaz encountered significant health issues that even confined her to a wheelchair for an extended period. Recently, she reflected on this difficult phase and shared how her resilience helped her overcome these challenges.
“I had a problem with walking in 2021. I was wondering if it’s just a patch or maybe I put on too much weight and I was thinking of going to a chiropractor. I kept thinking ‘What’s wrong with this hip?’ I just couldn’t get the better of it. Because I thought I was putting on a lot of weight, I joined the MMA which increased the severity of the problem. I didn’t know what was happening, but it was only worsening. Then, there came a time when I just couldn’t even stand up and cook in the kitchen. That’s when I realised there’s something very wrong in the system,” she recalled during a recent appearance on Inner Habit podcast.
“So, I went and got my back checked, thinking something was wrong with my spine and did that treatment for almost three months. My back became ok, but I still couldn’t put weight on my leg. Then I started limping and that too in a very odd manner: I would take my leg and stick it out and put it back in (while walking). That became a motion I mastered so fast and one could sense that there was something amiss. That worsened it. However, being an actress, I didn’t want to give in,” Tannaz shared, adding that, despite her usual “never mind” attitude, she soon realised the problem was far more serious.
“Then I had to take a couple of MRIs because my knees started giving away because of the odd movements. By then, everything was compromised in my body: my ankles, knees and back. At the same time, I also had scoliosis. I took MRIs, CT scans and everything. But they just said, maybe I have AVN. Basically people who are alcoholics or take a lot of steroids get it. Neither am I an alcoholic nor taken steroids. So, they were also puzzled. Thus, I became very depressed. As I was limping, I started using a stick and that’s something I couldn’t see myself with,” she mentioned, recalling how her children, encouraged her to avoid the stick in public, promising to hold her instead.
Tannaz also recounted a vacation abroad where she had to rely on a wheelchair. “When on a vacation abroad, my girlfriends wanted me to have fun and get out. They didn’t understand the severity of the situation at that time. So, I went on this vacation on a wheelchair. Every time we went out in the evening, I would just crawl back to my room with such severe pain. I was always on painkillers,” she shared, adding how she knocked on many doors, including those of various healers, trying to find some solace.
Eventually, Tannaz Irani underwent hip replacement surgery. “After the surgery, on day zero, when they made me stand up, I realised that one leg was longer than the other and I completely freaked out. I screamed, not out loud, but from the bottom of my heart. I just couldn’t believe, for my entire life, I have to walk like this. I felt that this was a cruel joke that somebody was playing on me. I didn’t even want to live anymore,” she added.
Click here to follow Screen Digital on YouTube and stay updated with the latest from the world of cinema.
