Aayush Sharma has been missing in action since Karan Lalit Butani’s 2024 action film Ruslaan. On Wednesday, the actor took to his Instagram handle to reveal the reason. Sharing pictures of him on a hospital bed, he revealed he’s had two surgeries and has been recuperating from a serious back injury he sustained on the sets of his last film.
“Life has its way of slowing you down to make sure you listen. For the last couple of years, I had been experiencing consistent pain in my back it started while pulling off a stunt during the action scene in Ruslaan — nothing too dramatic, so I did what most of us tend to do… ignored it, masked it, and kept going,” he wrote in the caption.
Aayush realized while shooting for his next film, Butani’s military drama Kwatha, that there’s something wrong with his back. “Movements that once felt like second nature — dancing, stunts, even the simplest stretches — became restricted. What I thought was temporary turned out to be far more serious. The biggest mistake? Taking the pain lightly and hoping it would heal on its own,” he added.
Sharing pictures of him doing the ‘victory’ sign on a hospital bed, Aayush revealed that he’s undergone two surgeries and is now on the road to recovery. He also shared a video in which he’s sitting dejected on a hospital bed. When asked how he’s feeling going into the second surgery, he admits hospital has started feeling like his “second home” and he’s hopeful this would be his last surgery for now.
“This phase has taught me that good health isn’t just about a six-pack — it’s about what’s happening inside. Don’t ignore the whispers your body sends you. Act early. Heal properly,” he also wrote. Ayush even shared a video in which he’s struggling to get on a bike as a pillion passenger because of his back injury.
Ayush thanked his doctors, and the producer and director of Kwatha, the shoot of which has been halted because of his injury. “And to my beautiful family — Arpita, Ahil, and Ayat — thank you for turning my bedrest into what felt more like a vacation than a punishment. Your laughter, love, and support have been my real medicine,” added Aayush.
Aayush is married to Arpita Khan, sister of actor Salman Khan. They have two kids — Ahil and Ayat — born in 2016 and 2019 respectively. “And then there’s my little man, Ahil, who looked at me and said — ‘Papa, you heal fast… I need my Wolverine back.’ I’m coming back stronger. For you. For me. For all of it,” wrote Aayush, referring to Marvel’s superhero character of Logan aka Wolverine.
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Aayush made his Bollywood debut with the 2018 romantic comedy Loveyatri, produced by his brother-in-law Salman. He also starred alongside Salman in Mahesh Manjrekar’s 2021 action film Antim: The Final Truth. He’ll be next seen opposite Katrina Kaif’s sister Isabelle Kaif in Kwatha.
