Mumbai: Bollywood director Jaideep Sen needs an urgent heart transplant surgery to beat a life-threatening heart condition called hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy.
The surgery will cost around Rs 35 lakh, but Sen doesn’t have the money to afford it.
Hence the director of ‘Krazyy 4’ is looking to raise funds for his treatment, and is also receiving monetary support from the film industry.
Sen revealed in a recent interview that he has had a brush with death twice this year.
“This year, I have been hospitalised twice, in February and May. I missed death narrowly… the second time I had to be put on ventilator for three days. My cardiologist has told me that I need the heart transplant as there’s no other way out,” Sen told Hindustan Times.
He is currently No. 1 on the recipient list in Mumbai.
“But the cost of the surgery is Rs 35 lakh and I have been asked to keep a contingency of another Rs 15 lakh. As per hospital policy, they can confirm me for the surgery only after the entire Rs 35 lakh is deposited. My savings are miniscule compared to the amount I need,” Sen informed.
He lamented that in the film industry, “unless you become a successful brand, you are always underpaid.”
He expressed his gratitude to those who have come forward to help.
“Almost everybody in the industry has gotten to know about me and some of them have come forward in contributing whatever they feel comfortable with. You cannot put up a figure in front of anyone, it’s about their generosity. So, whatever comes from their heart, I accept that gratefully,” he said.
He has had the condition since 2011, which was detected after he collapsed in Rakesh Roshan’s office while working on ‘Krrish 3’.
He has had an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) implanted in his chest for 13 years, which protects him from sudden death by delivering a shock to his heart whenever his heart rate rises.
Sen’s ‘Krazyy 4’, produced by Rakesh Roshan, featured the likes of Irrfan Khan, Juhi Chawla, Arshad Warsi, Rajpal Yadav, while Shah Rukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan appeared in item numbers.