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True grit

Akshay Kumar. Click for bigger pic!

Sonika Singh in Pretoria

The motorcycle's roar rose over the roar of the crowd. And then the two-wheeler, lit up by fireworks, charged up towards the ramp, dark and gleaming under the lights. Akshay Kumar had done it before and there was no real reason he couldn't do it again.

He had stolen the thunder from Shah Rukh Khan that magic evening at the Minolta Loftus Stadium in Pretoria when the Awesome Foursome show was on. The four were Akshay, Shah Rukh, Juhi Chawla and Rani Mukherjee. With Jaaved Jaffrey and Anu Malik thrown in for good measure.

Akshay had received a rousing reception at his last entry and, as part of his act, he'd liberally splashed water and champagne around. And that might have brought about his downfall...

Rani Mukherjee. Click for bigger pic!

Akki must have had his mind on the non-stop 35-minute act ahead. But when the bike hit the ramp, something went wrong. Suddenly the wheels lost purchase and bike skid away. Akshay slid off helplessly and smashed with head and shoulder into a solid steel barrier, coming to a stop before the security staff and a few press photographers. The 12,000-strong crowd was stunned.

And then, Akshay arose -- or tried to, at least. But the pain was obvious and the security staff immediately picked him up and carried him off for an X-ray and CAT scan.

The shocked fans rushed forward, and security staff tried to keep them at bay. The other artistes, caught off-guard by the suddenness with which events had overtaken them, took some time to gather their wits about them.

Shah Rukh took over the microphone, and began his act that involved some members of the audience. And that restored the mood of the show.

Shah Rukh Khan. Click for bigger pic!

Akshay had dislocated a shoulder, had stitches on his left leg and around his eye and torn thigh muscles. But he came back up for the final item, his hand in a sling, determined not to disappoint his fans. He first did a few song items, and then, as he got more exuberant, he cast aside his sling and began dancing. After it was over, still all fired up, he had members of his dance team carefully hoist him high and over the fence so that he could get closer to his fans.

Though the rest of the crew was clearly very concerned, Akshay bravely hid the distress he was in. But when Rani Mukherjee accidentally touched his shoulder, he winced and withdrew in obvious pain. But most in the audience did not notice.

Then he announced that he would go down the same ramp and that it would never triumph over him. Aided by the team, he hobbled down. And that gave him the courage to continue with his other items.

He left the stage, with the fans cheering him, assured he wasn't seriously hurt. But hardly had he reached backstage that he had to be supported and quickly rushed off to his hotel.

Tough isn't the word...