Six Bollywood Stars Injured or in Close Calls in 2026

Hindi cinema’s pursuit of realistic action has made the screen more visceral — and the set more hazardous. A string of reported injuries and close calls in 2026 has put the physical cost of that ambition into plain view.

The 2026 injury list

• Shah Rukh Khan: a reported muscle injury while filming action for King at Mumbai’s Golden Tobacco Studio paused production and sent him to the US for specialised treatment.
• Rashmika Mandanna: a hip tendon injury during dance rehearsal required six weeks of rest.
• Nushrratt Bharuccha: a spinal fracture after an accident in Bali led to an air-ambulance return to Mumbai and what was reported as successful spinal surgery, followed by recovery and physiotherapy at home.
• Hrithik Roshan: a leg and knee strain during action and dance preparation left him using elbow crutches in public.
• Kartik Aaryan: a knee injury during an action shoot for a Kabir Khan sports drama meant surgery at Fortis Raheja Hospital and a period away from filming. He later relayed the director’s advice with the line “Kabir sir said – Break a leg.”
• Emraan Hashmi: an SUV suspended by a crane reportedly malfunctioned while filming the climax of Gunmaster G9 near Bengaluru and crashed onto a parked van, narrowly missing the actor.

Why the risk is rising

The common thread is not bad luck alone. Hindi cinema’s move toward more realistic stunts, dance sequences and physical transformations means lead actors are absorbing work that once sat with specialist doubles or was softened by editing. The result is a production pipeline in which a pause can become a medical event.

That matters because principal-actor downtime carries a multiplier: a lead injury can stall large crews, release schedules, promotional commitments and budgets. These are not only personal health events; they are production-risk events.

What safer sets look like

The answer is not smaller action, but a higher operating standard around it. That means tested rigs, trained stunt and medical teams on location, and clear recovery windows rather than rushed returns. Audiences want the thrill of danger on screen; the objective should be danger as a controlled effect, not an accident.

Source: Bollywood Bubble