Rajesh Sharma health update: 'Paatal Lok' actor still suffering from fever; lungs at risk

A day after Indian actor Rajesh Sharma was admitted to the Manipal Hospital in West Bengal's Dhakuria, the infection from a suspected insect bite persists.

According to a senior doctor treating the Paatal Lok actor, the insect infection had rapidly spread from his toe to his knee, leading to blisters around the affected region.

"At this stage, it is too early to make any definite assessment. Mr Sharma remains under close observation and is not yet out of danger," he said, as per a PTI report.

As a result, Sharma also suffers from high fever and breathlessness, despite being under treatment at the hospital for a day already.

Amid this, Bengali actress Sudipa Chatterjee released an update on Sharma's health, on behalf of his family, saying that she would go to visit him at the hospital twice a day.

They explained that the actor was being kept under strict observation to ensure that no blood clots formed in his legs. This is because the formation of a blood clot would be a major complication, as it could even travel upwards to his lungs, becoming life-threatening.

How an insect bite landed Rajesh Sharma in hospital

Rajesh Sharma is a well-known actor in Bengali and Hindi cinema, and is famed for his performances in films like Khosla Ka Ghosla! (2006), Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015), and MS Dhoni: The Untold Story (2016), as well as the critically acclaimed TV series, Paatal Lok.

Chatterjee also explained that the actor had been interacting with local technicians in a densely vegetated area after a shoot for Prabhas-starrer Fauji in Hyderabad, when the incident happened.

After the shoot, he had felt minor discomfort from an alleged insect bite, but he did not seek immediate medical attention, thinking that it was only a minor issue.

It is not yet confirmed whether the insect was a spider or a bug, or perhaps something else entirely.

However, about six hours later, he developed severe pain in his right leg and his condition began to worsen.

Over his flight to Kolkata, he developed a high fever, after which he was hospitalised on Tuesday.