Puneet Issar Reveals Jaya Bachchan's Reaction To Amitabh Bachchan's Near-Death Experience
Puneet Issar said Jaya Bachchan was very 'gracious' and "supportive" towards him.
Amitabh Bachchan's near-death experience on the set of Coolie in 1982 remains one of Bollywood's most shocking moments. During a high-stakes action scene, Puneet Issar was supposed to throw a mock punch at Amitabh Bachchan. But things took a dangerous turn when Amitabh misjudged a leap and landed awkwardly on a table, suffering a life-threatening injury. Though he initially brushed it off, his condition quickly worsened, forcing doctors to perform an emergency surgery. During a recent chat with Siddharth Kannan, Puneet Issar recalled how Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan were gracious towards him and didn't hold any grudges.
'Mr Bachchan called me, he said, 'I want to meet Puneet'. I went to meet him and when I saw him in that state, I had tears in my eyes, thinking that all this has happened because of me. He told me, 'Puneet, it's not your fault. When we are doing action, this kind of stuff happens,'" he recalled.
'In that state, he got up, put his arm around my neck and took me to the gate of Breach Candy, where the press was stationed and dropped me till there so people don't think that he has any hard feelings towards Puneet. That's the greatness of Bachchan saab," he said.
In the same chat, he also recalled Jaya Bachchan's reaction to the incident and said that she was very 'gracious" and 'supportive" towards him. 'Amazing, what a lady," he said and added, 'They are associated with films. They know that it is not anyone's fault; it just happened."
Despite following the scene's choreography, Puneet Issar faced severe backlash. Amitabh, however, held no grudge, comforting Puneet Issar and reassuring him it was just an accident. Yet, the damage was done — Puneet Issar was almost blacklisted by the industry, losing out on several projects and facing years of struggle, which took a toll on both him and his family. In a recent chat with Digital Commentary, Puneet recalled how he was jobless for nearly six years as people refused to work with him. Puneet issar never worked with Amitabh Bachchan after Coolie. He, however, went on to share screen space with Amitabh Bachchan's son Abhishek Bachchan in his debut film Refugee.
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