Pooja Dadwal co-starred with Salman Khan in the movie Veergati.
Pooja Dadwal, former Bollywood actress who has worked with superstar Salman Khan in the 1990s film Veergati, is battling with Tuberculosis and a lung-related disease, reports Hindi newspaper Navbharat Times. Pooja Dadwal was admitted to Sewri TB Hospital in Mumbai 15 days ago. As her health condition worsened, her husband and family members reportedly abandoned her, leaving her with no money to fend for herself. She is hoping that if her once co-star Salman Khan gets to know about her condition, he may come forward to help her.
Speaking to
Navbharat Times from her hospital bed, Pooja Dadwal said, "Six months ago I learned that I have something as serious as TB. I tried to reach out to Salman Khan for help, but was not able to establish any contact. If he sees my video, then perhaps he will help me out."
She further said that she had been managing a casino in Goa for the last several years. "I have no money, I depend on others for even a cup of tea," she added.
Pooja Dadwal has worked in several films like Veergati, Hindustan, Sindoor Ki Saugandh, Dabdaba among others.
As the news about her illness spread, fans also started reaching out to the actor, requesting him to help her financially:
"Sir Please help to your Veergati Actress Pooja Dadwal (sic)," wrote a Twitter user.
"Veergati's actress pooja dadwal waiting for your financial help pls help her she is admitted in shewri tb hospital Mumbai (sic)," wrote another user.
India has the highest Tuberculosis burden in the world. Of the 10 million TB cases reported worldwide, over 2 million are from India. Almost 200,000 children under the age of 5 died of TB globally in 2015, a Lancet report of 2017 said. Maximum drug-resistant TB patients are also found in India. The government aims to eliminate tuberculosis by 2025, ahead of the WHO targets.