In 1982, when Amitabh Bachchan’s stardom was at its full glory and he was tasting success like never before, a fatal accident on the sets of Coolie landed him straight in the hospital. As the nation prayed
for him, Puneet Issar, whose mock punch combined with Bachchan’s misjudged leap led to the accident, was battling his own guilt while facing scrutiny from fans and the media. He would visit Big B three times a day at the hospital, while Jaya Bachchan and family wouldn’t leave the latter’s side at Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai. How did they react to the accident? Puneet once spoke about it.
Puneet Issar on Bachchan family’s reaction after Coolie accident
Puneet Issar, currently seen in Vivek Agnihotri’s The Bengal Files, faced brutal media scrutiny during his debut film Coolie. After all, Amitabh Bachchan was a national sensation. His fans organised havans and prayed for his recovery in temples – all while holding Puneet responsible. But how did Jaya Bachchan react to her husband’s fatal accident? The Mahabharat actor once told Rediff, “But he, his entire family, Jayaji, everyone was very nice to us. He is a great man. I am a great fan of Amitji. I think he’s a brilliant actor.”
He continued, “Initially, there were many hate mails, but later it subsided. I don’t even remember how many mails I used to get in a day. I got such mails for about two years saying, ‘How could you do it?’ ‘He is our favourite actor’ etc. I was infamous. But Amitji later gave an interview saying it was an accident. But the family was very nice. I worked with Abhishek later in Refugee.”
What were the repercussions of Coolie accident on Puneet Issar’s career?
Amitabh Bachchan was a superstar while Puneet Issar was just starting off. And imagine an accident as fatal as this happens. Puneet had to bear the repercussions by losing out on all his films. He was even out of work for several years before projects started coming his away.
“I would go to hospital regularly to see Amitji. For 3, 4 years, I did not get any work. I had a wife to support and was jobless. I did Z grade films at that time. I struggled for six years after that accident and only after that did people start coming forward to work with me. I got roles like Duryodhan in B R Chopra’s television serial, Mahabharata,” he said.
“I never worked with Amit ji again. I believe in destiny,” Puneet Issar had said with regret, with a hope somewhere in the corners of his heart.
Puneet Issar clarified that the legendary actor let it pass as an “accident”, right from his hospital bed during recovery. Did he keep in touch with Amitabh Bachchan thereafter? The former Bigg Boss contestant had shared that he continues to share a very cordial bond with him. “Woh bade hi sabhya log hain (They are very cultured people),” he further established, and signed off.
