For decades, Salman Khan has been Bollywood’s most enduring bachelor and one of its most physically resilient stars. But in a rare moment of vulnerability, the 59-year-old actor opened up about the battles he fights away from the camera—ones that involve not villains or stunt scenes, but his own body.
Appearing on the first episode of The Great Indian Kapil Show Season 3 on Netflix, Salman sat down with Kapil Sharma for what started as a fun-filled chat. Yet, between the jokes, he shared something deeply personal—his ongoing struggle with multiple serious medical conditions.
With striking honesty, Salman revealed that he suffers from Trigeminal Neuralgia, a neurological disorder known for causing excruciating facial pain. “It’s called the suicide disease,” he said, “because the pain can be unbearable.” On top of that, he is also dealing with a brain aneurysm—a dangerous bulge in a blood vessel—and an arteriovenous malformation (AVM), a rare and risky tangle of blood vessels in the brain.
“Every day feels like something’s breaking,” he said quietly. “My ribs have fractured, my bones are hurting, but I still get up, I still dance, I still do action scenes.”
This wasn’t the first time he mentioned trigeminal neuralgia—he spoke of it briefly during a 2017 event in Dubai. But never before had he offered such an intimate glimpse into how deeply it has impacted him, both physically and emotionally.
When the conversation turned to his famously single status, Salman responded not with defensiveness, but with a blend of humour and perspective that only time can offer. “Marriage and divorce—they’re both tough, emotionally and financially,” he said. “If I get married now and things don’t work out, half of what I’ve earned would go… and at this age, earning it all again is not so easy.”
He reflected on how relationships today often lack the patience and understanding needed to endure. “People ask why I didn’t marry. But really, would it have changed much? In today’s world, divorces are more common than compromise.”
