On 'KBC 15', Amitabh Bachchan reveals how director Manmohan Desai offered him a wheelchair-bound role after myasthenia gravis diagnosis
Kaun Banega Crorepati 15’ has gone viral for being high on emotions! Featuring a wheelchair-bound contestant, the episode has grabbed eyeballs as netizens got wowed by an inspiring tale of persevering against all odds.
Shridev Wankhede, the contestant shared his story with host, Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan. A survivor of an accident, Wankhede said that while people who are disabled from birth have their own share of struggles, people like him who got disabled after a freak accident, often grapple with depression. He also thanked his wife (also coincidentally named Jaya) for being a pillar of support and not giving up on him.
Bachchan responded with an anecdote of his own. He revealed that he had hit a new low in his personal life after being diagnosed with myasthenia gravis, a rare muscular disorder. During that time, director Manmohan Desai had faith in him and gave him a role which would not require physical exertion.
“You cannot drink water, button your coat, and even close or open your eyes. The doctor suggested medication and asked me to rest. But I was so scared and worried. When I came home, I was wondering how would I ever work in films. I can’t even walk and don’t know if I would be able to talk properly. It was a tough time. I was at home when director Manmohan Desai, with whom I had collaborated multiple times came to meet me. He said, ‘Tu bilkul mat darr. Tereko wheelchair pe bitha ke silent role karwaunga main Don’t worry. I would make you sit in a wheelchair and do a silent role). I cannot describe how important it was to see that optimism in someone else. That support was what I needed most,” stated the ‘Paa’ star.
The actor then went on to laud Wankhede’s wife and
