Indian film star Amitabh Bachchan and son hospitalised for Covid-19
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Amitabh Bachchan (right) and his son Abhishek (left) each posted on social media that they had tested positive for the coronavirus.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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MUMBAI • India's most famous film star Amitabh Bachchan and his son Abhishek are in stable condition after testing positive for the coronavirus, a hospital official and the government health authorities said yesterday.
The 77-year-old legendary actor said in a tweet last Saturday that he had tested positive for the highly infectious virus.
"I have tested Covid positive... shifted to hospital... hospital informing authorities... family and staff undergone tests, results awaited," Amitabh Bachchan said in a tweet.
Within minutes, his actor son Abhishek Bachchan, 44, tweeted that he had also tested positive.
"Both of us having mild symptoms have been admitted to hospital. We have informed all the required authorities and our family and staff are all being tested," he said. "I request all to stay calm and not panic."
Both were moved to the Nanavati Hospital in Mumbai despite showing only mild symptoms.
Around India, fans, politicians, fellow actors and businessmen wished the pair a full and speedy recovery.
"I will pray and not eat till you recover and leave hospital," posted one fan Manoj Pandit on Twitter, where Amitabh Bachchan has more than 43 million followers.
Yesterday, an official at Nanavati and government health officials in Mumbai said both the father and son were in stable condition.
There are as yet no reports on the condition of Amitabh Bachchan's wife Jaya and Abhishek's wife Aishwarya, both also highly regarded actors.
A Bollywood legend, Amitabh Bachchan has been a prominent figure in the fight against the coronavirus. He appeared in public service advertisements in which he urges people to wear masks, wash their hands frequently and maintain social distance in his trademark baritone.
He joined the film industry in 1969 and has made more than 200 movies.
The actor suffered a near-fatal injury during the shooting of an action scene on a film set in 1982 and was critically ill for several months.
In recent years, he returned as the celebrity host of Kaun Banega Crorepati (2000 to present), India's version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? and one of its most watched shows.
India's film industry recently resumed film shoots after a months-long hiatus following the imposition of a nationwide lockdown in late March.
But actors aged over 65, such as Bachchan, are banned from the sets because of their vulnerability to the virus.
Coronavirus cases have been rising in India. The disease has infected more than 820,000 people and killed over 22,000 in the country, according to a Reuters tally.
REUTERS
