Shahnaz Rizwan alias Mrs. Bhalla of Ye Hai Mohabbatein talks about her ‘life on a wheel chair’

Actress Shahnaz Rizwan was ‘invited on a red carpet’ by Ekta Kapoor to essay the role of Mrs. Bhalla in Balaji Telefilms’ Ye Hai Mohabbatein on Star Plus. Today, the actress is returning the favour of Ekta through her passion and sincerity towards her work!!

The lady, who is based from London, chose to be away from her family, to be part of Ekta’s project. However, the lady never knew that she would face a severe health issue that will leave her longing to be with her near and dear ones.

Well, Shahnaz had a major accident sometime back in February (2014), which has restricted her movements to the wheel chair even today!!

Yes, not many know that Shahnaz, in fact, comes to the set in her wheel chair, and gives her shots sitting on the wheel chair.

So what exactly caused the problem?

Here is the back story – Shahnaz was travelling late in the night in an auto after packing up from her shoot. A car which sped rammed into the auto from the left side. In the commotion that happened, Shahnaz was thrown down to the road from the right side of the auto, with the auto landing topsy-turvy over her.
A terrible accident, indeed!!

Shahnaz immediately called a production guy from her show for help. She was taken to a hospital nearby where the doctors said that she had no fractures at all. The lady was simply surprised that she did not suffer any fracture even after having such a bad accident.

It seems the lady was prompt on the sets the same morning. Days passed, and the actress ignored the pain she had, owing to her love for work. She would be seen limping on the sets, and there came a point when she could barely place her foot on the ground. This was when few concerned people on the sets asked her to get a complete health check done. And this was when an MRI scan revealed that the lady was indeed in a serious situation, with a pelvic fracture.

In an exclusive chat with us, Shahnaz explains the agony that she has been going through ever since she met with the accident. “My problem was so serious that the doctor immediately advised me to have complete bed rest for the next six weeks. Since I had a pelvic fracture, no plaster could be put. And the tissues in the pelvic region are very sensitive, hence he told me to be very careful. I really did not know what to do. I have no family here, and was in a spot of bother. Tears simply kept rolling down my face. That was when I called my production guy and told him my problem. He had a chat with Ekta maam and others concerned. I immediately noticed the tension on their faces, as it said a lot. They simply could not afford to grant me leave for six weeks. I immediately told them that if I got a company car for use daily, and if they were fine in calling me only for 4-5 hours a day, I would continue shoot. They readily agreed.”

“And from that day to this day, I have been travelling in the company car. Things are not that easy as it seems, as being in the wheel chair on the sets is tough. I don’t even go to my green room to rest as I need to seek help from the boys to take me there and bring me back. The problems with mosquitoes and lack of air conditioners make it impossible at times to rest. Thankfully, I have a maid at home who stays from morning to night to take care of my needs,” she further states.
Ask her whether she has been shooting only for 4-5 hours daily and she explains, “In all these days, I have shot for 4 hours only one day. When I get to the sets and get into my character of Mrs. Bhalla, I literally forget my pain, my problems and my inconveniences. Also, in a daily soap scenario, it is impossible to shoot only for 4 hours daily. I end up shooting for 18 hours in a day. I love my work and I am happy doing it. I have had my tough moments, emotional moments and some irritating moments too on the sets. But frankly speaking, Ekta maam invited me personally to be part of this show. She waited for me for three months, and I cannot let her down. The entire production team has been very caring and supportive. Even though I need to shoot for extended hours even with my pain, I don’t mind it.”

Shahnaz now looks forward to another two weeks of life with the wheel chair. “My progress has been very slow as I am not on bed rest. But hopefully I can get rid of my wheel chair in two weeks’ time. But my only worry now is that after this six weeks tenure, the production might withdraw the company car. In a city like Mumbai, it will be difficult for me to travel again in an auto, that too after having suffered this accident. At the same time, I cannot ask my husband to send me money from London to buy a car over here. I have already written to Ekta maam about making a permanent arrangement for my commute. If that does not happen, I will ask them to help me with a car loan so that I can go ahead and have a car of my own.”

The lady loves her art so much that she could talk us through her entire troublesome phase with a smile on her face!!

We indeed wish you a speedy recovery!!