Amitabh Bachchan’s near fatal accident on the sets of ‘Coolie’ when he was punched by Puneet Issar during an action sequence, left the entire nation in shock. Fans were devastated when he was hospitalised and prayed for his health. The actor nearly escaped death and came back, which is why, he celebrates his second birthday on August 2. In a recent interview, former cricketer Sandeep Patil has recalled this incident and shared how he was almost supposed to share screen space with the legendary actor.
Patil, who briefly stepped into films in 1983 with ‘Kabhie Ajnabee’ following India’s historic win at the 1983 Cricket World Cup, said that his acting stint was widely misunderstood at the time. Many believed that the fame from the World Cup had gone to his head, and various theories circulated about why he chose to skip the West Indies tour after the victory. According to Patil, however, the reality behind those decisions was quite different.
During the chat, Patil revealed that Amitabh Bachchan had nearly appeared in his film, but circumstances changed dramatically because of the accident. He said in an interview with Vickey Lalwani, “I had the chance to share the screen with Mr Bachchan.
Nobody knows this because it has never been reported. I have never spoken about it before. I asked Vijay Singhrao Patwardhan to call Mr Bachchan for Kabhi Ajnabee The after returning from the 1983 World Cup. It was very sweet of him—he agreed to do a special appearance in the film. ”
He went on to recall how the planned shoot never materialised. “We were supposed to shoot in Bangalore. We had reached there with our camera team. Mr Bachchan was shooting for ‘Coolie’ and was staying at the West End hotel with Jaya Bachchan. The shoot was scheduled for 6 pm, but he didn’t arrive even by 7. Since he is known for his punctuality, I went to the hotel. I knocked on the cottage door and Jaya ma’am opened it. When I asked about him, she told me about the near-fatal accident he had suffered on the Coolie set and that he had been flown to Bombay on a chartered flight.”
Reflecting on the missed opportunity, Patil added, “It was my bad luck. But it was very sweet of him to agree. Just imagine—Amitabh Bachchan and Sandeep Patil together on the big screen. It could have changed my life.”
In an earlier interview with Stardust, Amitabh Bachchan had also spoken about the traumatic period following the accident. He said: “See, I never knew that I was going to die. I knew that there was something very wrong with me but I never knew that I was going to die. And the entire period when I was seemingly gone, when I was struggling for life, I was in a state of coma. I was unconscious. That was a difficult period for my family. It was easy for me because I was oblivious. The difficult period for me started after I got okay. When you’re told what you’ve been through. And it’s not enough that you’ve been told.”
He continued, describing the emotional aftermath of recovery: “The worst phase is when you discover that what they have told you is, in fact, true. Your entire body is finished from within. You’re in full bloom, you’re healthy and you’re full of life and gusto. And to suddenly find that the body is not there. You can’t move your fingers. Your legs can’t support you. And your whole system has gone through a battering. But you know that it was there. It was just there the other day. How come it’s not working? It was a very frightening time.”
For those not in the know, Bachchan had suffered a serious abdominal injury that nearly cost him his life. Reports from that time suggested that he was briefly declared clinically dead before undergoing multiple surgeries and being placed on a ventilator as doctors fought to stabilise him.
