Bachchan's co-actor Puneet Issar mistimed a fake punch that landed the star onto the corner of an iron table that struck his abdomen. The injury caused a rupture in his intestines resulting in loss of blood and fluids.
Bachchan was admitted to the St Philomena's Hospital in a critical condition where an emergency surgery was conducted. He was later flown to Mumbai's Breach Candy Hospital. There was a huge crowd of fans, well-wishers outside the hospital praying for his recovery for several weeks.
The doctors at Breach Candy Hospital were able to revive Bachchan on 2 August, and this date is celebrated as Big B's second birthday by fans.
After a long intensive treatment, Bachchan returned home on 24 September, two months after the accident.
Bachchan resumed shooting for Coolie in January 1983. According to the original script of Coolie, Bachchan was to die in the end, but director Manmohan Desai changed the ending of the film because he felt that his star had fought death for real and survived, he should stay alive in the film too.
Coolie released on 2 December 1983 and became the top grossing film of the year.
When Coolie played in cinema halls, the film freezes during the shot in which Amitabh Bachchan gets injured.