Despite broken back, Akshay Kumar breaks a leg

In an industry where egos are often perceived to be fragile, filmmakers creating multi-starrers may vouch for the fact that the feat is anything but easy. But Good Newws director Raj Mehta considers himself fortunate to have roped in an actor who could understand the severity of the situation.

Having scheduled the shoot of a promotional song weeks ago, Mehta had woken up to the news that his leading man Akshay Kumar had sustained a back injury.

"He was also running a fever on the night before the shoot. We weren't expecting him to show up, but surprisingly, he did, and even managed to pull off the choreography set by Bosco [Martis]," says Mehta, crediting Kumar for salvaging the situation, given that allotting another date suitable for all co-stars - including Kareena Kapoor Khan, Diljit Dosanjh and Kiara Advani - would have been difficult. "As soon as I announced cut, I could see that he was still in pain. I had heard numerous stories of his professionalism over his 25-year career, but to witness it first-hand was amazing."

A source from the set informs that the makers had erected an expensive set in Chandigarh for the song, which was to be filmed over three days. "Akshay had sustained a back injury a few months ago, and it was triggered during a workout session. The team deployed a physiotherapist on set. Akshay completed the shoot before schedule."

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