Amitabh Bachchan Injured While Filming "Project K"

Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan was injured while filming the science-fiction movie “Project K” in southern India.

Writing on his official blog on Sunday, the veteran actor, 80, said he tore a muscle and cartilage in his ribs during filming an action scene for his upcoming movie in the southern city of Hyderabad, resulting in “painful” movement and breathing.

He also provided a reassuring health update and told fans that he resting at home in Mumbai and will take some weeks until he is recovered.

“It shall be difficult or let me say… I shall be unable to meet, the well-wishers at Jalsa Gate this evening,” Bachchan wrote, referring to his weekly ritual of meeting fans outside his home in the city’s Juhu suburb. “So do not come… and do inform as much as you can to those that intend [on] coming.”

Bachchan, who starred in over 200 films in a career spanning more than five decades, is one of the world’s most prolific film stars and is idolized by millions across the globe. He is also a former politician and television host.

Bachchan made his debut in India’s Hindi film industry, known as Bollywood, in 1969 with the movie “Saath Hindustani”, which translates to Seven Indians. He achieved superstar status by playing the titular role in the 1978 blockbuster “Don.”

The Bachchans are often called Bollywood’s first family. Bachchan is married to actress and politician Jaya Bachchan. Their son Abhishek Bachchan is married to former Miss World and actress Aishwarya Rai. 

After he suffered a life-threatening injury on set in 1982, many of his fans went on a hunger strike – and one even walked 482 kilometers (300 miles) backward to pray for his recovery. Throughout his illustrious career, Bachchan has reinvented himself for his audiences, acting in a mix of family, action, and drama films.