By Subhash K Jha

One of the reasons why Gulzar couldn't attend the Oscars was his ‘tennis' shoulder. A ligament he had torn during a game had him incapacitated and in pain.

Not one to lie low for long Gulzar Saab strained his shoulder again and will now have to undergo intense physiotherapy for a month.

Laughing off his pain he says, "Actually I did something very childish. I strained my shoulder all over again. I had been forbidden from playing by my doctor. I even missed my tournament on March 1 which I thought I'd be able to participate in if my shoulder behaved itself."

Alas, God and Doc had other plans.

Says Gulzar Saab, "Last week I was missing my tennis sessions so much that one day I just decided to go to the club to meet my morning-time tennis friends. Once there, my willpower failed. I decided to give the game a shot. That was it. My surrender to temptation cost my shoulder dearly."

Now Gulzar Saab has been advised to strictly let the shoulder rest for a month. "Every day I've to go to the doctor instead of my tennis sessions. But my regular tennis friends come home for tea."

Luckily Gulzar Saab's other passion remains intact. He wrote the title song for his protégé Vishal Bhardwaj's Kaminey. It was recorded on Saturday with Sukhvinder.

Says the poet, "I think he's one of our most talented composers ever. It's always a pleasure to work wth him."