There might be hardly a person in India whose life Amitabh Bachchan has not touched. Be it through his movies or his humanitarian work, or even his short stint as a politician, the 'megastar' holds importance in the lives of each one of us in some or the other way.
But 40 years ago, there was a moment when the nation had almost lost its beloved star. The whole of India went numb when news broke that Amitabh Bachchan has been declared "clinically dead".
It all happened when back on July 26, 1982, Big B was shooting for his film 'Coolie', with Puneet Issar as the antagonist. During one of the fighting scenes between the 'hero' and the 'villain', what was supposed to be a mock punch, turned into a fatal blow, leading to Bachchan battling for his life in the ICU.
The film was being shot in Bengaluru at that time when Puneet was supposed to hit Big B for a scene but the latter mistimed a jump, which led to the antagonist's punch landing straight near his gut and ruptured his intestines. An unconscious Bachchan was then rushed to St Philomena's Hospital in Bengaluru and after an emergency surgery, he was flown to Mumbai and was admitted to the Breach Candy Hospital.
As revealed by Bachchan himself, he went into a "coma-like situation" and was declared "clinically dead for a couple of minutes", before doctors injected his heart with adrenaline shots and the prayers of millions of his fans were answered. The actor came back to life on August 2, 1982.
While wife Jaya Bachchan never left the bedside of the hospital, the then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi flew all the way down to Mumbai to meet Big B, such was his aura. Rajiv Gandhi cancelled his US trip, Doordarshan and All India Radio set up special news break slots, biggest names from the industry sent him all kinds of help, and fans of the actor from all states, class, religions lined up outside the doors of the hospital.
Reportedly, the actor also received some 60 bottles of blood from at least 200 owners, and all kinds of prayers and havans were organised across the country.
In the midst of all this, Puneet Issar almost lost his career before even cementing his place, but thanks to Bachchan again that he publically announced the former had no evil intentions and it was indeed an accident. In full view of the press and fans, Bachchan walked out his room with his arm around Puneet's shoulder.
While any other actor might have not returned to the film that almost cost them their life, Big B went back to the sets, completed the shoot, and the film emerged to be a bumper hit at the box office.
Even after 40 years, Amitabh Bachchan celebrates his 'second birthday' on August 2 -- the day in 1982 when the megastar came back from the dead, literally.
