Mumbai: Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan reverently observes August 2nd each year as the day of his "rebirth", a date etched both in his personal memory and the collective consciousness of his admirers.
Although Bachchan was born on October 11, he holds August 2, 1982 close to his heart. While enacting a fight sequence with co-actor Puneet Issar, Bachchan sustained a grave abdominal injury that ruptured his intestine and brought the shooting to a halt and the nation to its knees in collective anxiety.
Bachchan was almost on the verge of death. But suddenly a miracle happened on August 2, when he suddenly moved his thumb, after which he started recovering.
After enduring weeks of critical care, Bachchan was eventually discharged from the hospital on September 24, 1982, having overcome what many believed to be insurmountable odds. Since then Bachchan has chosen to celebrate August 2 as his 'Punarjanam Diwas' (Rebirth Day), a deeply personal observance of his second lease on life.
