Amitabh Bachchan had revealed that doctors had announced him ‘clinically dead’ after Coolie accident. The actor had undergone multiple surgeries and took months to recover.
For Amitabh Bachchan’s fans, his accident on the sets of Coolie is still a memory fresh in their minds. The actor had got injured during the shoot of an action sequence. In 1982, Amitabh Bachchan was shooting for Coolie with Puneet Issar when he mistimed a jump and was grievously hurt. He was rushed to St. Philomena’s Hospital in an unconscious state with his life hanging in balance. Soon after, he was flown to Mumbai and was admitted to Breach Candy Hospital. Amitabh was performing his own stunts in the film.
He underwent several surgeries and remained critically ill in hospital for several months even as a nation prayed for its screen icon. It was after a long and arduous recovery that the actor returned home. While Bachchan’s original birthday is on October 11, August 2 is considered his second birthday by his fans. Even now, fans flood social media with birthday wish him a long, healthy life.
Remembering the love, prayers and concern of his fans, Big B mentioned on the blog, “To all that express love and wishes for today the 2nd of August , my gratitude and love .. it has been an overwhelming experience to hear and see and feel the concern and the prayer for my well being .. I feel so blessed. Thank you.”
Every year, Amitabh Bachchan recalls the accident and shares his memories with his fans. Earlier this year, Amitabh shared how his late father and noted Hindi poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan reacted on his return from the hospital. Sharing a picture on his social media handles, he mentioned, “Its the moment I came home surviving death after the ‘Coolie’ accident .. Its the first time ever I saw my Father breaking down ! A concerned little Abhishek looks on.” Amitabh returned home on September 24, two months after the accident.
In a video, which has surfaced on social media, a frail-looking Amitabh Bachchan can be seen stepping out of an Ambassador car and touching his father Harivansh Rai Bachchan’s feet and pulling him in a tight hug. He can be seen kissing his mother. The clip also shows a young Jaya Bachchan.
The video ends with Amitabh Bachchan‘s brief video statement given to Doordarshan. In the video, he thanked his fans, “Today, the 24th of September, is exactly two months from the date when I was injured. And I sit here before you as a result of the efforts of the doctors from St. Philomena’s Hospital. And more especially the doctors and nurses from the Breach Candy Hospital in Bombay. But I’m grateful most of all, to all you people, who have prayed for me, for my life. Be it in a temple, be it in a mosque, be it in a church. You all came forward.”
During the launch of Hepatitis B media campaign back in 2017, Big B revisited the infamous accident which led to 75% damage of his liver.
“Hepatitis B came to me accidentally. After my accident on the sets of Coolie, I was infused with the blood of about 200 donors and 60 bottles of blood were injected into my system. The Australian antigen Hepatitis B had only been detected three months ago and it was very new for being detected also among various tests needed to be carried out before giving blood to another patient.
“One of my blood donors was carrying Hepatitis B virus which went into my system. I continued to function normally till year 2000 and almost 18 years after the accident, during a very normal medical checkup, I was told that my liver was infected and I had lost 75 per cent of my liver. So, if I am standing here today, you are looking at a person who is surviving with 25 per cent of liver. That is the bad part. The good part is you can survive even with 12%. But no one wants to get to that stage,” he expressed.
After surviving the accident, Amitabh Bachchan was yet again hospitalised after he got diagnosed with Mysthenia Gravis. In 2017, Abhishek shared a throwback picture and wrote, “Taken in the mid 80’s ( 1985 if memory serves). I call it Big B and the Bachchan bunch. Dad was hospitalised with Mysthenia Gravis and my sister, cousins and I had gone to visit him. Being too young to understand what all was going on, our parents always made it out to be like an outing so that we would not be disturbed by the hospital and its workings. When I used to visit my father after his accident on the sets of “Coolie” in 1982, seeing him connected to many drips and machines, he used to tell me they were kites that he had got for me. I was 6 yrs old. My father was fighting for his life and all I thought about was… why isn’t he allowing me to play with these kites??? The innocence of childhood I guess.”
On the work front, Amitabh Bachchan will be seen hosting new season of Kaun Banega Crorepati. He has shot for Vikas Bahl’s Goodbye with Rashmika Mandanna. Recently, he gave muhurat shot for Prabhas’ untitled next with Nag Ashwin. The film will also star Deepika Padukone.
