When Amitabh Bachchan continued shooting, even after getting injured

There are many Bollywood stars who are known for their sheer dedication when it comes to their work. Megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who is often regarded as the one-man industry in the era of 70s and 80s, can be counted as one of them for sure. The actor has been a part of many iconic films in his career which stretches across more than four decades now. One such movie was the 1982 release ‘Khud-Daar’ that witnessed an intense performance from the actor. The movie also featured one of the most popular chartbuster songs of Big B’s career ‘Mach Gaya Shor’, which is still played during the celebrations of Janmashtami festival. Recently, the film had completed 35 years of its release, and remembering that occasion, we found out an interesting unknown fact. The fact finds its root from the popular chartbuster song ‘Mach Gaya Shor’ which had left Big B injured while shooting. Yes! You read that right.

In one of his old blogs, Amitabh Bachchan recalled that incident when he broke the Dahi Handi matki not by his hand, but with his head which left him injured on his forehead. (Also Read: We kid you not! Amitabh Bachchan almost named Abhishek Bachchan ‘Tiger’)

Big B shares, “The handi is generally broken by the hand of the climber that reaches the top, but the dance director wanted to add a bit of bravado to my character and instructed that I smash it with my head! Urged and egged on by all those participating I went ahead and in the most dramatic fashion smashed my head against the matki, succeeding in breaking it with all its contents, the milk and curds, flowing out amidst great applause by the unit when… along with the white liquid splashed all over my face, assistants noticed a sharp trace of red!! I had smashed my head too. My forehead had split open and blood was oozing out from a large gash on my forehead! Stunned, everyone decided to wrap the shoot and wanted to rush me to hospital. I asked them to stay. Got into my car and drove off to Dr ‘Quick Fix’ Shah, the industry’s family doctor and asked him to repair me. He stitched me up in his clinic rapidly, taped me and I got back to the studio and resumed shooting. Greater applause.”

“But there was another nagging problem! These were the days when I was working double shifts – 7 to 2, and then 2 to 10 pm! ‘Khud-Daar’ was the morning shift, the afternoon was at Mehboob Studio for Manmohan Desai’s ‘Desh Premee’, a double role of father and son and the sequence on a large set and all the artists, was the song – ‘Gore Nahi Hum Kale Sahi…’. Dates expenses and time was always an important issue at shoots and nothing could be compromised with. The production panicked, but a solution was soon obtained. Luckily I was in disguise as the son for the song – a black man. I was being painted dark all over, so I told makeup to cover the white tape with the paint, pulled the curly haired wig over the stitches and went ahead. Simultaneously I was to become the Father as well, because of the dual role and thank fully there too a wig was involved. If you will notice in the film I have quite deliberately pulled the wig a little more than necessary over my forehead, to conceal the stitches! God! I love this profession!!,” added the megastar.

Indeed, such was the professionalism and such was the dedication that made him the enigma called Amitabh Bachchan.

Amod Pandit

Quiet, resonant, and creative, he can be seen immersed in his own world, and puts in his heart and soul into the one passion that he has, Bollywood. His line for survival? Feel happy to be a part of it.