When Shah Rukh Khan Opened Up About His Sister's Mental Health Struggles

Shah Rukh Khan’s journey to superstardom is well known, but behind the glitz and glamour lies a deeply personal story of loss, resilience, and an unbreakable sibling bond. Losing both parents at a young age changed the course of his life, but it was his sister, Shehnaz Lalarukh Khan, who suffered the most. While Khan channelled his grief into work, Shehnaz struggled to come to terms with reality, facing years of emotional turmoil. 

The Untold Story of Shah Rukh Khan and His Sister After Their Parents’ Passing

In 2014, Khan opened up about his father’s death. His father passed away in 1981 due to throat cancer, just hours after returning home from the hospital. The actor recalled his last memory of him, saying, "My last visual of my father was watching him eat vanilla ice cream. I couldn’t bear to look at his face. When he passed away in the early hours of the next day, I just touched his cold feet."

The family was still recovering from this devastating loss when tragedy struck again in 1991. His mother, who appeared perfectly healthy, suddenly got diagnosed with diabetes. A month after the diagnosis, despite all efforts to keep her alive, she passed away. Khan remembered praying outside Delhi’s Batra Hospital, desperately hoping for a miracle.

Khan believed that people only leave the world when they are fully satisfied with their loved ones’ futures. Recalling the painful days in the ICU, he admitted, "Main unko dukh pahochata raha (I kept hurting her). I thought if I didn’t let her be satisfied, she wouldn’t go. I told her, ‘If you leave, I won’t take care of my sister. I won’t study, I won’t work,’ and other such stupid things... But I think these are just childish beliefs. She had to go, and maybe she was satisfied that I would take care of my sister and do alright in life. God knows better; mother knows best."

Shehnaz’s Silent Suffering

While Khan masked his pain by diving into work, Shehnaz’s world shattered. Unable to process the loss, she fell into a deep state of shock. "She didn’t cry, she didn’t say anything, she just fell and hit her head on the ground. For two years after that, she didn’t cry, she didn’t speak, she just kept looking into space," Khan once revealed.

Even years later, she struggled with emotional distress. During the filming of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Shehnaz was hospitalised again, and doctors feared the worst. "During the making of Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, she again was hospitalised, and they (the doctors) said she would not survive," he shared. Khan ensured she received the best medical care, taking her to Switzerland for treatment while filming the song, 'Tujhe Dekha Toh Ye Jana Sanam'.

Talking about Shehnaz's emotional turmoil, Khan said, "She hasn’t ever recovered from the loss of her father, the suddenness of his passing away. Then it got compounded with my mother passing away ten years later."

Though she prefers to stay away from the limelight, she remains an important part of Khan’s life. Through every success and challenge, his love for his sister never wavered.

Take a look at their story.

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