Former Bollywood Villain Dan Dhanoa Recovers From COVID-19; ‘I Felt Pin Pricks On My Head’

Bollywood's popular villain of the 80s and 90s, Dan Dhanoa tested positive for the Coronavirus while he was aboard a ship off the coast of Brazil. The actor says that being in a foreign country and knowing the local language, he was worried, but as a mariner, he is trained to look ahead. Dan was eventually hospitalized and recovered from the virus.

Talking to Hindustan Times about how he might have contracted the virus, Dan said, "I suspect it was some service vendor, possibly an asymptomatic carrier, who brought the virus on board. I am told that 18-20 people tested positive, after I was hospitalized."

Dan did not want his 94-year-old mother worrying, and therefore asked his wife, actor and dancer, Nandita Puri to not tell anyone at home. After he got discharged on April 17, he video called his family and told them what had happened.

Talking about his symptoms, Dan said, "I had a running nose just for a day, and the next day I started getting a headache and fever. Initially, only my forehead would ache. I thought my sinuses were playing up, but the pain started shifting all over my head. It was like a cluster headache with pin pricks that would make me twitch."

He continued, "No cough nor shortness of breath, but my appetite died and I started feeling weak. Also, there was stiffness in my chest and lower back. That's when I asked to be evacuated ashore on a chopper. I had fever and felt pin-pricks in my head. It's important for people to be aware of the many different symptoms of the disease, go for tests and isolate themselves."

Dan, who has shared the screen with stars like Amitabh Bachchan, Vinod Khanna and Dharmendra, is waiting for international flights to resume operation, so that he can get back to his family.

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