Puneet Issar reveals he received threatening calls after Amitabh Bachchan's 'Coolie' accident: ‘People said I was paid to kill him'

Time of India

02-07-2025

Actor
Puneet Issar
recently opened up about the turbulent phase he experienced after a tragic accident involving megastar
Amitabh Bachchan
on the set of Coolie in 1982. Issar became an unexpected target of public outrage as people panicked and began praying for Amitabh's recovery.
Puneet Issar opens up about
public backlash
for Amitabh
Bachchan
's accident on Coolie set
In an interview with Siddharth Kannan on his YouTube channel, Puneet Issar revealed the extent of the backlash he faced. Though the incident was an unfortunate accident during a stunt sequence, the actor recalled that many media narratives and public speculation theories claimed he had been paid to kill Big B on set.
'Someone said that I have been paid to kill Bachchan. They said that some star who is in the opposition… people were printing lies then.
Someone wrote that Puneet Issar claims that he can run faster than a train, so people were saying whatever they wanted,' Issar shared.
Puneet Issar on social isolation and fighting the battle against Covid-19
Puneet Issar used to get threatening calls
He also recalled receiving threatening phone calls that made his life difficult. 'People would call me at the house and say, 'We will not leave you, we will kill you,'' he said. Puneet emphasised that he had not done anything intentionally and that it was purely an accident on set.
Puneet Issar about losing out on roles
Issar's career took a major hit during this period. Producers distanced themselves, and offers dried up. 'People wanted to avoid me. They said he has hurt someone, our film's star might feel bad. News spreads like wildfire so it was blown out of proportion that he is a black belt in martial arts, he is tough, he can really hurt people, let's cast him in a friend's role, not in a villain's role. Such chatter used to happen,' he recounted.
He was removed from around 7–8 films and had to find alternative means of survival. From 1982 to 1988, he focused on conducting speech classes, working in smaller films, and training others in martial arts. It wasn't until he was cast as Duryodhan in the TV epic Mahabharat that he made a notable comeback.