Every story often has multiple sides. While some become widely known, others remain hidden until someone accidentally stumbles upon them. One such lesser-known story involves cricketer Sandeep Patil and actor Amitabh Bachchan from the time the superstar suffered a near-fatal accident on the sets of Coolie after being punched by Puneet Issar. Sandeep, a well-known cricketer, briefly turned to acting in 1983 with the film Kabhie Ajnabee The soon after India’s World Cup victory. At the time, many believed the fame from the win had gone to his head. Several theories circulated about his decision to skip the West Indies tour after the World Cup. However, according to Patil, the truth was very different.
In a recent interview with Vickey Lalwani, the former cricketer was asked if he had been distracted from cricket by the lure of becoming a Bollywood star. Reacting to the question, Sandeep quickly asked, “You think so?” He then joked, “If you get an opportunity to romance Poonam Dhillon on screen, how do you say no?”
Explaining the real reason behind accepting film offers, he said, “I had an acromial fracture. People talk about my six fours, but they don’t know I played with a fracture. Immediately after that match, I underwent surgery. I have sixty stitches.”
According to Patil, this injury was the real reason he missed the West Indies tour. “People only gossip. But nobody knows the reality,” he said.
He then shared how he eventually entered films.
“I was friends with Arvind Apte, who also played cricket for India. He was a member of CCI. His wife was the sister of Vijay Singhrao Patwardhan—father of actor Bhagyashree. Apte approached me saying these people wanted to meet me. I was lucky to get such opportunities because I could see how films are made. When I was recovering from the injury and resting, Patwardhan came to meet me and narrated the story.”
In the film, Patil played himself—Sandeep Patil—alongside Poonam Dhillon and Debashree Roy.
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“I liked the story. These ladies were very sweet. I was in awe of Poonam and I am still in touch with her. I tried to connect with Debashree two years ago, but couldn’t,” he said.
In the same interview, Sandeep revealed that Amitabh Bachchan had almost appeared in the film alongside him, but destiny had other plans.
“I had the chance to share the screen with Mr Bachchan. Nobody knows this because it has never been reported. I have never spoken about it before. I asked Vijay Singhrao Patwardhan to call Mr Bachchan for Kabhi Ajnabee The after returning from the 1983 World Cup. It was very sweet of him—he agreed to do a special appearance in the film,” Patil said.
He continued, “We were supposed to shoot in Bangalore. We had reached there with our camera team. Mr Bachchan was shooting for Coolie and was staying at the West End hotel with Jaya Bachchan. The shoot was scheduled for 6 pm, but he didn’t arrive even by 7. Since he is known for his punctuality, I went to the hotel. I knocked on the cottage door and Jaya ma’am opened it. When I asked about him, she told me about the near-fatal accident he had suffered on the Coolie set and that he had been flown to Bombay on a chartered flight.”
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“It was my bad luck. But it was very sweet of him to agree. Just imagine—Amitabh Bachchan and Sandeep Patil together on the big screen. It could have changed my life,” he added.
The speculation around Patil’s film stint was not limited to criticism of his acting or accusations of losing focus on cricket. There were also strong rumours that he had an affair with his co-star Debashree Roy, with some claiming that the alleged relationship led to the breakdown of his first marriage.
Addressing those rumours, Patil said, “If that had been the case, I wouldn’t have married my wife Deepa. Debashree is a very dear friend. I would like to meet her again, but we couldn’t connect. I think she wasn’t in a very good state when I tried reaching out.”
When Amitabh Bachchan recalled his near-fatal accident
In a previous interview with Stardust, Amitabh Bachchan had recalled the incident. He said: “See, I never knew that I was going to die. I knew that there was something very wrong with me but I never knew that I was going to die. And the entire period when I was seemingly gone, when I was struggling for life, I was in a state of coma. I was unconscious. That was a difficult period for my family. It was easy for me because I was oblivious. The difficult period for me started after I got okay. When you’re told what you’ve been through. And it’s not enough that you’ve been told.”
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He added: “The worst phase is when you discover that what they have told you is, in fact, true. Your entire body is finished from within. You’re in full bloom, you’re healthy and you’re full of life and gusto. And to suddenly find that the body is not there. You can’t move your fingers. Your legs can’t support you. And your whole system has gone through a battering. But you know that it was there. It was just there the other day. How come it’s not working? It was a very frightening time.”
While shooting an action scene for Coolie, Amitabh Bachchan suffered a severe abdominal injury that nearly proved fatal. Several reports at the time claimed that the actor was briefly declared clinically dead before undergoing multiple surgeries and being placed on a ventilator.
