Mumbai: Megastar Amitabh Bachchan and his son Abhishek Bachchan on Saturday said they had tested positive for COVID-19 and been admitted to a city hospital. The Bachchans, who are at Nanavati Hospital, shared their health update on Twitter. While Amitabh is 77, Abhishek is 44 years old.
T 3590 -I have tested CoviD positive .. shifted to Hospital .. hospital informing authorities .. 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 !— Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) July 11, 2020
He has been moved to the isolation ward of the hospital, sources at Nanavati Hospital told PTI.
Soon after his father posted his tweet, quelling speculation about his health, Abhishek also tweeted. Abhishek said both his father and he had had mild symptoms and requested everybody to be calm and not panic.
Earlier today both my father and I tested positive for COVID 19. 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. I request all to stay calm and not panic. Thank you. 🙏🏽
— Abhishek Bachchan (@juniorbachchan) July 11, 2020
Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope said both Amitabh and Abhishek underwent the rapid antigen test. Maharashtra has been the state worst affected by the coronavirus for months now, with 2.46 lakh cases. Mumbai alone has almost 92,000 cases, and is India’s second-worst affected city in the country, after Delhi.
“Amitabh Bachchanji and Abhishek had mild symptoms. They had cough and fever. They underwent rapid antigen test and (result) came positive. Since he (Amitabh) is co-morbid he has got himself admitted to the hospital. They both are normal. Their test was conducted today at the Nanavati hospital,” the minister told PTI.
According to Tope, the complete Bachchan clan, including veteran actor Jaya Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, have taken the swab test for COVID-19.
Within minutes of Amitabh’s post, the get well soon wishes began pouring in, flooding Twitter and other social media platforms. Fans and his colleagues from the film industry posted their best wishes for the star, one of India’s most loved and best known actors.
Amitabh has been active on social media through the lockdown, which began on March 25 to curtail the spread of COVID-19. The actor, who was roped in by the government in March to help spread awareness about the pandemic, has been frequently posting on Twitter and Instagram as well as his blog, sharing advice on a range of issues.
He was last seen in Shoojit Sircar’s Gulabo Sitabo alongside Ayushmann Khurrana. The film was initially going to be released in theatres, but due to the coronavirus pandemic, it premiered on Amazon Prime Video. His upcoming movies include Chehre, Brahmastra and Jhund.
Abhishek Bachchan was recently seen in the Amazon Prime Video series Breathe: Into The Shadows. His upcoming films include Anurag Basu’s Ludo, Kookie Gulati’s The Big Bull, in which he plays disgraced Indian stockbroker Harshad Mehta, and Diya Annapurna Ghosh’s Bob Biswas, based on the eponymous assassin from Sujoy Ghosh’s 2012 hit Kahaani.
(With input from PTI)