Bollywood's iconic actor Amitabh Bachchan is thanking an elaborate Indian headgear for saving his life after he was kicked on the head by a camel while shooting for a film, a newspaper reported on Thursday.

The 64-year-old actor, playing a royal guard in Eklavya, a period film about palace intrigue, was shooting a scene in which he had to pass through a herd of 400 camels.

The Mumbai Mirror newspaper said one of the camels suddenly landed a kick on Bachchan's head, leaving him dizzy for a few minutes.

"Mr Bachchan kept saying, 'The turban saved my life'," director Vidhu Vinod Chopra was quoted as saying by the daily.

"I would have never believed it happened, but then we spotted the camel in action on the monitor."

The headgear that Bachchan wore for the film is a traditional colourful turban worn by villagers in the western desert state of Rajasthan.

Running into several metres, it takes a professional up to an hour to tie a Rajasthani turban, the newspaper said.