The two members of 'Bollywood's first family' were admitted to hospital in Mumbai as coronavirus cases soar in India.
ADVERTISEMENTBollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan and his son have tested positive for the coronavirus and are hospitalized with mild symptoms in Mumbai, India’s financial and entertainment capital, a hospital statement said Sunday.
The Nanavati Super Speciality Hospital said that Amitabh Bachchan is stable with mild symptoms and is currently admitted in an isolation unit.
Bachchan, 77, said in a tweet on Saturday that he has tested positive and appealed to those who were in close proximity to him in the past 10 days to get themselves tested.
His son, Abhishek Bachchan, who is 44, tweeted Saturday night that he also has tested positive for COVID-19 and is hospitalized.
“Both of us having mild symptoms have been admitted to the hospital,” he wrote. “I request all to stay calm and not panic.”
The elder Bachchan has acted in more than 200 Indian films over the past five decades. He is also a former politician and a television host.
The Bachchans are often called Bollywood’s first family. His wife, Jaya, is also an actress and a one-time member of Parliament. Their son, Abhishek, and daughter-in-law, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, are Bollywood superstars as well.
Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai, Pune and Bangalore are among the Indian cities worst hit by the coronavirus.
On Sunday, India’s coronavirus caseload reached near 850,000 with the biggest spike of 28,637 in the past 24 hours. The new confirmed cases took the national total to 849,553.
The number of infections is thought to be far higher because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected with the virus without feeling sick.