During the last schedule of Vishal Bharadwaj's Omkara, Naseeruddin Shah was on his way to the hotel in Panchgani (where the cast and crew were staying) from the location at Wai, when the tyre of his car burst, but the actor managed to escape unhurt.
The actor was on the ghat when this incident took place. Recalls Shah, "Yes, it was a narrow escape for me. The car (a Scorpio) and the chauffeur were provided by the Omkara unit. Both the driver and me were not injured.
The tyre exploded as if a bomb or something had gone off and the car tilted. There was a huge noise. For a moment, I thought the car would go off the roads into the ravines below. It was only when I got off the vehicle, I realised what had happened — one of the tyres had burst and been ripped into shreds. There was no rubber left in the tyre — it was that bad."
Naseer was furious
Informs a unit member, "After the incident occurred Naseersaab was furious. He seemed quite shaken up. He called the production head and fired him for sending a khatara gadi. Naseersaab told him he was lucky to be alive —as it could prove to be have been fatal."
Adds Shah, "I had just arrived from Mumbai and had dropped in on the sets of Omkara at Wai. After catching up with everybody, I was on my way to the hotel in Panchgani where we were put up. We had hardly left Wai when the tyre burst. As we were not at high speed, we survived."
Expressway blessing
The seasoned actor feels that the cause of the mishap may be due to the fact that the tyre was heated up or there was too much of air pressure in it.
"On the Mumbai-Pune expressway, the driver was speeding at 160. I continuously told him I was in no hurry to reach Wai. Thank goodness, the tyre did not burst on the expressway when we were at such top speed. Then the situation would have been worse."
Kumar Mangat, the producer of Omkara, says, "I haven't heard of any such incident. These are small problems and part and parcel of the shooting of every film. From Naseersaab to the smallest artiste sabse itni dosti ho gayi thi that everyone cooperated and we didn't even realise when the shooting was over. Naseersaab probably didn't want to bother me with such a small issue."
Playing matchmaker
In Omkara, Naseer plays Bhaisaab, a jailed politician who helps to get Omkara married to his love, Dolly (Kareena Kapoor). "I think Omkara will be a significant film. I have a small role, but I did it as I wanted to be a part of the film and the team. This is the first time that I have shaved off the hair on my head for a role.
I have perceived a lot of growth in Vishal Bharadwaj since Maqbool and rate him very highly as a director. His forte is intense drama and interaction between people," says Shah who will also be seen in Rakesh Roshan's Krrish. His directorial debut, Yun Hota To Kya Hota…What If, hits the marquee in July.
Anupamaa
