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The 1988 movie ‘Shahenshah,’ starring Amitabh Bachchan, remains evergreen and iconic. His larger-than-life look in the film and the unforgettable dialogues are still famous. Director Tinnu Anand has now shared that after Amitabh fell ill during filming, he was diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis and was advised told by the doctors that he may never act again.
In an interview with Radio Nasha, Tinnu said that Amitabh was shooting for the film in Mysore when he got injured. The director said, “When I reached Mysore, I was told that he’s got injured and he’s been taken to Bangalore for a checkup and he has asked you to come to Bangalore. So I reached there and 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.’”
Tinnu continued, “He asked me to cancel my schedule as he has got something called Myasthenia Gravis, which is a disease of the muscles. 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 have to swallow it, so it got stuck. I nearly died, suffocating on it.’ He explained that he has been asked to go to Bombay for a checkup and complete rest. He said the doctors had warned him that I might never be able to work again.’ I collapsed, I think he called an ambulance.”
The director then revealed that a report in a newspaper changed everything. He said, “Journalist Khalid Mohamad wrote that he had a meeting with Amitabh and Amitabh had said, ‘Sorry, I have to give up on acting.’”
After that, Tinnu mentioned that creditors showed up at their door asking for their money back. He mentioned that they started looking for an actor to replace Big B, although no replacement was actually found. Things started looking up after Amitabh’s brother, Ajitabh Bachchan, assured Tinnu that once Amitabh returned from his treatment abroad, he would complete the pending films. The rest, as they say, is history. Meenakshi Sheshadri was the leading lady of the film and Shahenshah went on to become the third highest grossing film of 1988.
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