Big B's injury reminds fans of his brush with death in 1982

Legendary Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan, who was the angry young man on screen in the 70s and 80s, has been injured during the shoot of an upcoming Telugu film, tentatively titled 'Project K'. Amitabh himself posted about the incident on his blog post. In the post, Big B said he has suffered a broken rib cartilage and a muscle tear while shooting an action scene on the sets of the film in Hyderabad.

The accident reminded his ardent fans about the actor's near brush with death, over four decades ago, during the shoot of 'Coolie', a 1982 action comedy film featuring Amitabh Bachchan, Kader Khan and Rishi Kapoor.

The actor was shooting for the film on the sets of a university campus in Bangalore when the incident occurred. As per reports, Bachchan was evading a punch by stuntman Puneet Issar, who was playing the villain in the film, during an action scene. His stomach, however, struck a sharp edge of a table, while evading the blow. Soon, he crumbled on the floor. The actor was rushed to his suite for rest, as the film crew thought it was a minor injury.

However, as the pain intensified, he was admitted to a hospital in Bangalore. Initial, X-ray reports did not suggest anything major. Later it was discovered that he had suffered intestinal rupture. By then, his situation had become serious and he had begun vomiting repeatedly. He was also running a high fever, soon after which he slipped into a coma.

There were reports that he had only 50 per cent chance of survival. Further complications, including pneumonia, were detected. The actor was later shifted to Bombay, where he underwent a critical surgery. The actor later revealed that the doctor made a desperate bid to save his life by injecting several doses of cortisone, a steroid.

The actor, who was then only 40 years old, was reportedly clinically dead. Puneet Issar essayed the role of Duryodhana in B R Chopra's Doordarshan TV show 'Mahabharat'.