When Amitabh Bachchan Told Tinu Ananad About Being Diagnosed With Rare Autoimmune Disease: ‘I Nearly Died...'

Actor-filmmaker Tinnu Anand recently shared how Amitabh Bachchan "nearly died” after being diagnosed with myasthenia gravis, a rare autoimmune disease that causes severe muscular weakness.

Actor-filmmaker Tinnu Anand recently shared how Amitabh Bachchan "nearly died” after being diagnosed with myasthenia gravis, a rare autoimmune disease that causes severe muscular weakness. Anand recounted that this diagnosis occurred while Bachchan was filming Coolie, during which he sustained a life-threatening injury to his intestines while performing a fight sequence with co-star Puneet Issar. 

When Big B got injured during Coolie shoot

At the time, Tinnu Anand was preparing to begin shooting his ambitious project 'Shahenshah', with Amitabh Bachchan in the lead role. The movie was set to start filming in Ooty, with a 10-day schedule already planned and the entire crew ready. Just one day before production was due to begin, Anand received an unexpected call from the actor. Bachchan, who was filming 'Coolie' in Mysore, had been seriously injured and was taken to Bengaluru for medical attention.  

When Amitabh Bachchan told Tinu Anand about his diagnosis

Anand recalled in an interview with Radio Nasha, "I was told by the Manmohan Desai unit that he has gotten injured and was taken to Bengaluru for checkup. ‘He has asked you to come to Bengaluru,’ they told me, so I went there. This time, I was on tenterhooks: Is he going to be well for my schedule?" Concerned about whether the actor would recover in time for the Shahenshah shoot, Anand rushed to see him. 

Recalling his meeting with the superstar, Anand told Radio Nasha, “I kept waiting at the hotel, where he arrived and said, ‘Please sit down, I have a bad news for you. I have been diagnosed with a nerve illness. During the shoot when I was taking a sip of the water, it got stuck in my throat, because the message to my brain didn’t go that I had to swallow it.’ He then said, ‘I nearly died suffocating on it,'” 

Bachchan was advised to return to Mumbai for further tests, where doctors prescribed complete rest.  

"He told me that the doctors had warned him he might never be able to work again. Hearing that, I was devastated," Anand shared. 

Shahenshah was put on hold

The news shook the filmmaker, especially when a few days later journalist Khalid Mohammed reported that Amitabh had hinted at retiring from acting, leading to 'Shahenshah' being put on hold. 

Fortunately, after several months of uncertainty, Bachchan’s health improved, and the film eventually went into production, starring him alongside Meenakshi Sheshadri. Written by Jaya Bachchan, 'Shahenshah' went on to become one of the biggest hits of 1988, solidifying Bachchan's return to the silver screen after a tumultuous period.