Veteran actor Mithun Chakraborty, who was filming for Vivek Agnihotri's The Kashmir Files, collapsed on the sets due to food poisoning on Saturday evening, bringing the shoot to a halt. The 69-year-old actor was medicated and advised bed rest. However, he returned to the sets on Sunday morning.
In a press note, director Vivek Agnihotri said, "We were shooting for a big action sequence. Everything was centred around Mithun Chakraborty's character but suddenly he suffered from a bout of infection and it was very bad. No normal person can stand or [sit] still in that condition but he went out for some time and came back and finished the entire shoot (sic)."
The director said he couldn’t imagine anybody shooting in such a condition. "But, he went ahead and gave the shot. That is the reason why he has been a superstar. He told me in the last so many years he hasn't fallen sick. He was constantly asking me, 'Your shooting is not getting halted right?' I am really, really surprised because I haven't seen anyone in the new generation working so dedicatedly,” he said.
Agnihotri added, "Mithun Da is the most focused hardworking and professional actor and that is why he is a superstar. Not only that, when we came back for the shoot in the morning, he charged everybody with his energy and made sure that everyone was working at great speed. Because of that, we could cover the backlog which we had. Actors like Mithun Chakraborty are assets to any unit, any crew and any film."
Announced in December last year, The Kashmir Files tells the story of the events that predated the flight of Kashmiri Pandits from the valley. The film also features Anupam Kher and Puneet Issar.