Bachchan has a longstanding history of stomach ailment . He said in his blog that his stomach had been the ground of many complicated battles in the past and would have to entertain this one as well.

"It's a war zone, my body, and one which has been through a great deal and still does," he wrote. Bachchan is on injection doses, which are likely to continue for the next few days.

While the exact reason for the surgery remains unclear, sources close to his family said it could be related to his previous stomach issues. The last time Bachchan had to be admitted to hospital was in October 2008 when he complained of stomachache due to incisional hernia.

In 2005, he was operated upon for perforated diverticula-holes in the wall of the intestine. He remained out of work for a long time.

In 2002, he was detected with cirrhosis of the liver, a condition where normal liver tissue is damaged. In Bachchan's case, 25% of the liver was destroyed due to transfusion with infected blood.

His liver problems started when he suffered a near fatal intestinal injury in 1982 on the sets of the film Coolie in Bangalore. During a fight scene with co-actor Puneet Issar, he hit the corner of a table, resulting in ruptured spleen.

He lost a significant amount of blood and required an emergency splenectomy. He remained critically ill for several months.

The Saturday surgery will be his fourth. Bachchan, who is currently shooting for a cameo role in the Bhojpuri film Gangadevi with wife Jaya, blamed late nights as the probable cause of his stomach problem.

"I do not wish to talk much on my medical condition. The surgery, they say, is not too complicated, but then all doctors say the same as you end up on the operating table, and before long the details and the subsequent anxieties begin to rise,'' he wrote in his blog (less)