by Subhash K Jha

Saif has undergone an emergency appendectomy on Thursday evening at Kuala Lampur. He's fine now.

Reacting to all the media speculation in Mumbai about his health Saif spoke exclusively to this writer. "I'm fine now. But for a while it was touch-and-go. I suddenly had this acute pain.

I didn't know what was happening to me. Anything could've happened. I'm told my appendix could have burst if it hadn't been looked into in time."

Recuperating in hospital at Kuala Lampur Saif sighs, "Thank God it's over. I'll be out of hospital in two days. For three weeks I've to do no strenuous work."

The only shooting that's been affected is Vishal Bhardwaj's Othello. The director has two more days' work with Saif on the set erected for the film in the outskirts of Mumbai. Saif was supposed to return from Kuala Lampur on Friday to re-join Visha's crew. But now Vishal will shoot Saif's remaining portion in Mumbai whenever possible.

"Thank God he's all right. He informed me from Kuala Lampur about the emergency before the surgery. I'm now shooting a bit with Kareena and others and I return to Mumbai in a couple of days," says Vishal from his location.