‘Dangal’ actor Suhani Bhatnagar died of rare inflammatory disease dermatomyositis, says family

Faridabad (Haryana) [India], February 18 (ANI): Actor Suhani Bhatnagar, who made her acting debut in 2016 with Aamir Khan starrer sports drama biopic ‘Dangal’, passed away at the age of 19 on Februray 16. The family revealed that she had been suffering from Dermatomyositis, a rare inflammatory disease, which became the cause of her death

She was undergoing treatment at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi. The symptoms started coming two months ago with swelling in the left hand.

Many doctors attempted to determine the cause but ultimately were unable to do so. Following that, she was admitted to AIIMS.

On ‘Dangal’ child star Suhani Bhatnagar’s death, her parents said, “…Our recognition was because of Suhani… Aamir Khan was always supportive of her but we had shared nothing about her disease with anyone including him (Aamir Khan)… She was a brilliant girl and wanted to excel in everything that she did… She started developing swelling on her hand but we thought that it was just a skin disease… We took her to a few dermatologists but nothing helped. When we admitted her to AIIMS, she was diagnosed with Dermatomyositis. While treatment she got an infection and her body started producing fluids that collapsed her lungs and she succumbed to it…”

Dermatomyositis is a rare condition that causes muscle inflammation. Its symptoms are generally a skin rash and worsening muscle weakness over time. In this disease, the muscles start swelling.

Due to the infection, the entire body was filled with water and she collapsed and was put on a ventilator but could not recover. According to her father, the symptoms started coming two months ago, they came to know about the disease 10 days ago and then she died due to lung failure.

Talking about his daughter’s condition, her father Sumit Bhatnagar told the media, “Intially we thought, it’s a skin problem and consulted the dermatologist. We went to see many doctors and then we went to AIIMS. She was given steroids. We came to know about it late and finally, she couldn’t recover from the illness.”

Her mother Pooja Bhatnagar added, “She wanted to pursue acting after completing her graduation. We used to feel so proud as parents as everybody used to recognise us as the parents of the ‘Dangal’ actress”

Earlier, taking to X (formerly Twitter) Aamir Khan Productions mourned the demise of the actor and penned a heartfelt note.

They wrote, “We are deeply saddened to hear about our Suhani passing away. Our heartfelt condolences to her mother Poojaji, and the entire family. Such a talented young girl, such a team player. Dangal would have been incomplete without Suhani. Suhani, you will always remain a star in our hearts. May you rest in peace.”

‘Dangal’ was released in the year 2016. Starring actor Aamir Khan in the lead role the film was declared a blockbuster hit and is one of the highest-grossing Indian films.

Suhani played the younger version of Babita, while Sanya Malhotra essayed the older Babita Phogat. Zaira Wasim stepped into the role of the child version of Geeta Phogat, while Fatima Sana Shaikh played the role of elder Geeta Phogat.