Actress Shikha Malhotra, A Frontline COVID-19 Warrior, Hospitalized After Paralysis

Actress Shikha Malhotra has reportedly been admitted to Cooper Hospital after she suffered from paralysis caused by a major stroke. Shikha had volunteered herself as a frontline worker amid COVID-19 pandemic, and was working as a nurse.

ABP News reported Shikha's PR manager Ashwani Shukla as stating that she suffered paralysis when she was at home, on the night of December 10. She was first admitted to Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Mumbai and was later shifted to Cooper Hospital in Vile Parle, due to higher expenses at the former.

The report further stated that Shikha's right side has been affected and she is in a condition where she is unable to move or speak. However, doctors are of the opinion that her condition has improved slightly.

Notably, Shikha starred opposite Sanjay Mishra in Kaanchli Life In A Slough, directed by Dedipya Joshii. The film released on February 7, 2020, weeks before lockdown was announced in India. She was also seen in movies like Fan and Running Shaadi.

During the peak of the pandemic, she served patients of 'Hindu Hruday Samrat Trauma Center' in Jogeshwari, Mumbai. Shikha, who is reportedly a nursing degree holder, worked as a nurse for about six months. She contracted the virus in October, and was discharged from the hospital after recovery, in the same month.

In an interview with Mumbai Mirror, Shikha had revealed why she decided to serve as a frontline warrior. "I had been reading about the pandemic since the time it started. On the day of Janta Curfew, I went out in my balcony and clapped for all the healthcare workers and a little more for my mom, because she is a nurse too at a Delhi hospital. And at that very moment, I realized that I want to contribute to this fight as well," she said. Shikha even refused to take a salary for her services.