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By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

Surgery saves boy who gulped tiny LED bulb

Mumbai : In a bizarre development, a small boy from Kolhapur swallowed a tiny LED light bulb a few months ago that got stuck deep in his...

Surgery saves boy who gulped tiny LED bulb

Mumbai : In a bizarre development, a small boy from Kolhapur swallowed a tiny LED light bulb a few months ago that got stuck deep in his lung causing huge trauma and emotional stress for his family, officials said.   When the unusual case was referred to the Jaslok Hospital & Research Centre (JHRC), a team of medicos successfully extricated the foreign object lodged in the three-and-half-year-old boy’s chest.   Recounting the remarkable feat, a JHRC official said the child, Aarav Patil was reported to be suffering from severe breathing difficulties and incessant coughing for almost three months.   Doctors treating him at his home town initially mistook it for pneumonia and subjected him to multiple courses of antibiotics and other medicines, but there was improvement in the boy’s condition.   Subsequently, he was taken for advanced tests, examinations and a CT Scan which revealed the shocker – a metallic object was sitting inside the boy’s left bronchus, partially blocking the airway.   More tests identified the offending object – it was a LED bulb from a toy car – a development so rare that even seasoned doctors described it as a ‘one in a million case’.   Though doctors in Kolhapur attempted to retrieve the foreign body through flexible bronchoscopy - a minimally invasive procedure - the attempts proved to be unsuccessful.   As Aarav’s condition appeared to deteriorate, his desperate family rushed him to JHRC and he was referred to a team of specialist doctors.   After studying his case and examining Aarav, the medical team comprising thoracic surgeon Dr. Vimesh Rajput, ENT surgeon Dr. Divya Prabhat and Dr. Anurag Jain discovered that the bulb had not only blocked the bronchus but had also embedded itself in the surrounding tissues of the lung tissue, making its removal extremely challenging.   A rigid bronchoscopy conducted further confirmed the severity of the obstruction. Left with no other option, the doctors decided to opt for a mini thoracotomy — a delicate surgery involving a 4-centimeter incision in the chest.   “This was one of the rarest cases we’ve encountered. The bulb was lodged in such a way that conventional methods could not retrieve it. Through careful planning and teamwork, we managed to safely remove the object by a mini thoracotomy and restored Aarav’s lung function,” explained Dr. Rajput.   Emphasising how such cases are ignored, Dr. Prabhat pointed out that chronic cough or breathing issues are often dismissed as common pneumonia or even asthma.   “However, such persistent symptoms must always be investigated thoroughly, especially through early detection and imaging which can make all the difference to the patient,” she averred.   JHRC CMO Dr. Milind Khadke said, “The foreign body aspiration in kids is far more common that parents may realise but quick intervention is critical to prevent long-term medical complications.”

Aamir-Hirani set for first-ever biopic on Dadasaheb Phalke

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Mumbai: Almost 81 years after his passing, the first-ever biopic of the Father of Indian Cinema, Dhundiraj Govind Phalke – revered as ‘Dadasaheb Phalke’ – will soon start rolling and is scheduled for a 2026 release.


The film shall be directed by Rajkumar Hirani with mega-star Aamir Khan slated to play the role of the humble and multi-faceted personality, who created history in India as the producer-director of the first feature film, “Raja Harishchandra”, 115 years ago.


His grandson, Chandrashekhar Pusalkar-Phalke said that the film has been written by Hindukush Bharadwaj and his son Aviskhar Bharadwaj after painstaking efforts spanning four years, deep-diving into Dadasaheb Phalke’s life and his mind.

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“The Bharadwajs have put their heart-and-soul into the venture. We had multiple sittings and I disclosed to them many yet-unknown facets of Dadasaheb, as told to me by his daughter (my mother), Vrinda Pusalkar-Phalke, over the years. I was told that when Hirani heard about it, he readily agreed for the venture,” Pusalkar-Phalke told ‘The Perfect Voice’.


Hindukush Bharadwaj said that along with his son, the duo virtually moved mountains to understand the legendary film-maker, went to public-private libraries to hunt for materials on his life, pored over media-reports of that era, books in various languages, speaking to octogenarians linked with Bollywood, etc.


“We worked on the old cameras of that era to comprehend how Dadasaheb must have functioned, doing everything for the first time with limited resources, we tried out the trick photography as he did manually, retracing every possible aspect of his film-making life. Then, we discussed everything threadbare with Pusalkar-Phalke and other descendants to authenticate each point,” an excited Bharadwaj told The Perfect Voice.


The senior Bharadwaj said that when Aamir Khan heard the story, he had tears in his eyes and he declared that there was no way he could miss working on this historical biopic.


Set against the backdrop of India’s Independence Movement when the life of the young Dhundiraj starts from scratch, growing as an ordinary artist, fighting all odds and then went to found and bequeath the world’s largest indigenous film industry to the country.


Bharadwaj and Pusalkar-Phalke said that the pre-production works are on, with a Hollywood studio creating AI-based designs for the period-feel of the film, and the actual shooting will commence in October 2025 with a planned 2026 in theatres.


“This is no longer a commercial venture. Hirani, along with Abhijat Joshi and ourselves treat it as a ‘tribute’ to the great soul Dadasaheb Phalke who left an indelible mark on Indian history,” said Bharadwaj.


“Given the efforts, the involvement of stalwarts in every department, we are optimistic that the proposed film will make it to the Oscars,” smiled Pusalkar-Phalke, who unveiled the official website (www.dpiam.org.in) as ‘Dadasaheb Phalke International Awareness Mission’ in Feb. 2025.


The legend called Dadasaheb Phalke

Born in Trimbakeshwar (Nashik), Dadasaheb Phalke (April 30, 1870-Feb. 16, 1944) – with original surname of ‘Bhat’ – was educated in Mumbai’s Sir J. J. School of Arts and Kala Bhavan in Baroda (now, in Gujarat).


Barely in his early-forties, he created history with India’s first full-length film, “Raja Harishchandra” (released May 3, 1913), made after great personal sacrifices.


Interestingly his ancestors, the Bhats, supplied cut banana leaves to the Peshwas, and the vocation was traditionally known as ‘Phalke’, hence that occupational surname stuck, and later became historical.


As the country, then under British rule, remained in awe of the maiden silent film, Dadasaheb Phalke made two more films, “Mohini Bhasmasur” (1913) and “Satyavan Savitri” (1914).


He shot into limelight with the first-ever blockbuster hit film of India, “Lanka Dahan” (1917), in which he also introduced the fascinating concept of a ‘double-role character’.


Chandrashekhar and his wife Mrudula remember how their grandpa unfailingly credited his doting wife, Saraswati Phalke for his success in film-making - that has now mushroomed into a gigantic entertainment industry that ranks among the biggest money-spinners for the national economy.


“He made a total of 75 films, of which only one was a talkie, ‘Gangavataran’ in 1937. Many of his films became very popular, plus he was a visionary, a trendsetter in several aspects of film-making which inspired future generations,” said the Pusalkar couple.


Pusalkar-Phalke describes his Grandpa as “accidental film-maker” who had equally mastered other arts drawing, painting, photography, theatre, model-making, printing and learnt magic from the American wizard Carl Hertz (1859-1924) – but his passion for films made him immortal.


“We have been appealing to confer ‘Bharat Ratna’ on Dadasaheb Phalke, but there is no response from successive governments. We shall keep trying…” said the Pusalkar couple.

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