by Subhash K Jha

Newcomer Shruti tripped over wires and fell while shooting for debutante director Nisha Chainani's "Maratthon" at a converted bungalow named Casa Britona in Goa.

No one suspected it to be anything more than a routine slip-up.

"It turned out to be a serious facture in the knee," says Sammir Dattani who plays the main lead in the film.

"The doctor had to take a flash decision to inject out blood that had gathered inside her splintered knee. The rest of the operation will be performed when Shruti returns to Mumbai. Our producer Vicky Tejwani was in a panic. She was without her parents and it was entirely his call."

Fortunately, the girl was able to complete her work.

"It was very unfortunate. Yet, there was a funny side to the situation. Shruti was using the wheelchair that my character had to use. I play a professional footballer whose leg is amputated. So every time I needed the wheelchair for a shot we asked poor Shruti to vacate it."

There is more of the bizarre in this tale. Apparently, this is not the only leg accident to have occurred during the shooting of this film about a group of undefeated crisis hit individuals participating in the Mumbai marathon.

"During the Mumbai stint of "Maratthon", the co-producer Gurpal Singh sprained his leg. Now Shruti has fractured hers. We have begun to half-jokingly believe that leg accidents are going to keep happening in this film where I play a leg-less character," says Sammir.

The special effects showing Sammir leg-less in "Maratthon" are among the best special effects ever seen in Hindi films.

"It looks so real, even I was frightened. Our special effects gal Keya Banerjee is a whiz. Throughout the scenes where I am supposed to be leg-less she has made me wear a blue sock. That portion of my leg will be removed on the computer in each and every frame.

"In one scene where I trip from my wheelchair and fall to the ground the stump of my character's limb will be shown swooping right across the wheelchair."

Keya Banerjee, daughter of well-known actor Victor Banerjee, had earlier done the special effects in Farhan Akhtar's "Lakshya".

She says: "The reason why there was such a long gap between my two films is obvious. There aren't too many challenging assignments like 'Maratthon'. Making Sammir look limbless on screen is a tough assignment. But it is fulfilling because he is such a patient, focused and hard-working actor."