For the unversed, Great Gambler, directed by Shakti Samanta, was a crime-action film. It also featured Zeenat Aman, Neetu Singh, and Prem Chopra in key roles.
Digital Desk: Late actor Amjad Khan was a well-known name during his time, but did you know that when the actor met with a serious accident, it was megastar Amitabh Bachchan who came to help him.
Amjad’s wife, Shehla Khan, recalled the entire incident that happened before the filming of his film The Great Gambler (1979).
The actor required tracheostomy surgery (a surgical procedure to ease breathing), and Amitabh signed hospital documents authorizing the doctors to perform a tracheostomy on Amjad, Shehla Khan narrated.
Describing the terrifying incident, she said that it happened in Sawantwadi, near Goa, when she was 6 months pregnant, and that it was a very serious accident. While she was still dealing with the accident, Amjad was gasping for air and suffering from internal bleeding due to 13 broken ribs and a broken femur bone. Despite his worsening condition, he was more concerned about her and the loss of their child.
While speaking with Pinkvilla, Shehla stated, “A mob had gathered outside the Sawantwadi hospital. They kept saying, ‘Gabbar Singh ko bahar lao (Bring Gabbar Singh outside). So the doctors sent us to Panjim because otherwise, the crowd would have overrun the hospital. He had to be operated in Goa, and that’s when Amitji (Amitabh Bachchan) signed for the surgery.”
"Amjad and Amitji were best friends. Amitji had to be worried because no one knew if the man would make it or not. He was taken aback when Amjad scribbled the term ‘tracheostomy’ on a scrap of paper and asked Amitji if he would be undergoing it. In fact, even in that state, he correctly spelt the difficult word. We quickly booked a flight to Mumbai. We stay at Nanavati Hospital for three months.” She added.
For the unversed, The Great Gambler, directed by Shakti Samanta, was a crime-action film. It also featured Zeenat Aman, Neetu Singh, and Prem Chopra in key roles.
Initially, Amjad was cast in the film, but due to the accident, he could not continue, and Utpal Dutt replaced him.
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