Did you know? Amitabh Bachchan was once told by doctors that he may never act again

Amitabh Bachchan is truly one of the biggest superstars that Indian cinema has ever seen. He defines the term megastar and it’s almost impossible to imagine any other actor achieve that stardom ever. And it is as impossible to even imagine that there was once a time that an illness could have made Amitabh Bachchan quit acting.

When Amitabh Bachchan was told he may never act

Yes, you heard that right. Just before he was to start the shoot of Shahenshah, Big B was shooting for Mard in Mysore and was injured there. He was consequently diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis in 1984. Veteran actor-filmmaker Tinnu Anand, who directed Shahenshah, had gone to Bangalore to meet Big B after hearing the news.

In an interview with Radio Nasha, Anand revealed, “I was told to wait in the hotel where I will meet Amitabh. And then finally, when he arrived, he knew the kind of jittery person I was. He said, ‘Just sit down, please, before you fall.’ I’ve got bad news for you’. He asked me to cancel my schedule as he got something called Myasthenia Gravis. It is a disease of the muscles.”

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Big B then explained him the full situation. Anand shared, “He said, ‘During the shoot when I was taking a sip of water, it got stuck in my throat. The message to my brain did not go that I need to swallow it, so it got stuck. I nearly died, suffocating on it.’ He then explained that he had been asked to go to Bombay for a checkup and complete rest. He said the doctors had warned him that he might never be able to work again’.”

Tinnu Anand’s reaction to the news

Shahenshah was Anand’s ambitious project, thus the possibility of Big B not being able to act again took him aback. He thought that the film might never get made. Anand shared that he collapsed on the spot hearing the news and Bachchan had to call an ambulance for him. He even revealed that the film’s creditors started asking him for money back after Big B was quoted in a report saying that he was sorry but he had to give up acting.

For a year things were uncertain. But when Anand visited Bachchan a year later, he promised to fulfil his prior commitments after his treatment. For the unversed, a Times Of India report quoted Big B saying, “I know I am quite ill. It doesn’t look as if I will ever be able to face the camera again. Anyways, people are getting fed up of me doing the same role over and over again, aren’t they?”

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Eventually Shahenshah did get made and released in 1988. The film was the year’s third highest grosser and the role is still considered one of Big B’s most iconic ones. Not just that, Bachchan also got better and went on to have an illustrious career that has been growing ever since.

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