A day before Pankaj was to leave for vacation, he had an accident riding a motorcycle. He complained of pain in his abdominal area and was diagnosed with three fractured ribs during a medical check-up.
"I am taking precautions by not lifting weights, no sudden and harsh movements to avoid stress on ribs. I am taking all precautionary measures to prevent stress on ribs. Even the crew is taking care as not to give me scenes or shots that will require physical stress," Pankaj said.
"As actors, we should be more alert. I was careful, but accidents can happen anytime and anywhere," the actor said.
He said the cast and crew of "'83" is taking good care of him. "They all have stopped hugging me because of the pressure it could cause on my ribs. They all just greet me verbally without body contact. Ranveer Singh, being so close, friendly and electrifying, is also taking care of my health and greets me from a distance," he said.
Pankaj said he was "wearing this safety chest belt to avoid any pressure" on ribs. "I am on medication and will undergo another round of X-ray tests in London next week," he said.
The film "'83" traces India's historic victory at the 1983 cricket World Cup with Ranveer Singh portraying former skipper Kapil Dev.
The rest of the cast includes Saqib Saleem, Adinath Kothare, Chirag Patil, Harddy Sandhu, Ammy Virk, Jatin Sarna, Tahir Raj Bhasin, Dinker Sharma, Jiiva, Sahil Khattar, Dhairya Karwa, Nishant Dahhiya and R Badree.
"83", being presented by Reliance Entertainment, will be released on April 10, 2020, in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.
( With inputs from IANS )