Bollywood star Bachchan in hospital with coronavirus
Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan has been admitted to hospital with coronavirus.
The actor, 77, confirmed to his 43 million Twitter followers that he had tested positive for the virus yesterday.
The Mohabbatein star said he had been “shifted to hospital” after contracting Covid-19, adding: “Family and staff undergone tests, results awaited.”
“All that have been in close proximity to me in the last 10 days are requested to please get themselves
tested,” he said.
His son Abhishek, also an actor, said he had contracted the virus as well.
The 44-year-old said that both he and his father had “mild symptoms”, adding: “I request all to stay calm and not panic.”
The actors were admitted to Nanavati Hospital in Mumbai, India’s financial and entertainment hub.
Bachchan, who is one of India’s most prominent stars, has previously been named among the highest paid actors in the world on Forbes’ rich list.
In 2015 he was present for the official unveiling of a statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Parliament Square alongside prime minister David Cameron.
He joined the film industry in 1969 and has starred in 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, India’s version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire – one of the most watched shows on Indian television.
India is currently in the midst of a sharp rise in coronavirus cases, according to the Associated Press.
Yesterday the country reported a new daily high of 27,114 cases and a partial lockdown has been imposed in several high-risk areas.