Wednesday, December 13, 2006 23:59 IST
'Karam..'..track changed to accommodate the actor who is recovering from a neck injury
Salil Ankola's troubles don't seem to be ending. First, he was unceremoniously ousted from Sony's reality show 'Bigg Boss', for having violated a year long contract with Balaji Telefilms.
Now, when he's resumed shooting for Balaji's 'Karam Apna Apna' (Star Plus), where he plays the protagonist's father, he's been laid low by an injury. The muscle rupture that he suffered while playing cricket informally over a week ago, has put him out of action.
Ankola had to miss shooting for two days. But since he's part of a daily soap, he has resumed shooting, even though he was not able to walk for a week, and doctors say that he will take five more weeks to recover."I guess I am just out of practice," says the former test cricketer, who took to acting after his sporting career ended. "I was bowling and must have stretched wrongly, as I ended up bursting some veins in my neck. It was so bad that I could not move at all for some days. My neck had turned black and blue," he reminisces.
Yet, two days after the accident, the actor reported on the sets disregarding the doctor's orders to rest for a week. "I shot in whatever way I could. But the producers were good enough to change the script a bit and also let me off early after the shoots," he says.
The changing 'Karam Apna Apna' track needs Ankola centrestage now that he and his reel wife, played by Achint Kaur, reveals their true colours in the plot. The major burden of the changing track is now being consequently borne by Kaur, say sources in the production house.
"It's the first time I am doing a daily soap, and I don't think it's my cup of tea," says a bemused Ankola. Still, the actor isn't averse to the idea of taking on similar assignments in the future. "But that's only after my contract with Balaji Telefilms expires in August 2007," he reminds, a covert reference to the soup he landed himself in the last time he transcended the limits of the contract.