COVID-19: Indian stars and their brush with the virus

Amitabh Bachchan: On July 11, the Bollywood superstar took to Twitter to announce that he has been tested positive for Covid-19 and is now admitted to the Nanavati Hospital in Mumbai. “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 !,” tweeted Bachchan.

Abhishek Bachchan: A few minutes after Amitabh Bachchan revealed that he had tested positive, his son announced that he had contracted it too. In an Instagram post the following day, Abhishek wrote: “Yesterday, 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. The BMC has been in touch and we are complying with them. I request all to stay calm and not panic.”

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan: A day after Amitabh and Abhishek’s results, the latter’s actress wife Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and daughter Aaradhya were also found positive after two rounds of test. The first test showed that his wife and daughter were negative, but the second round that included a swab test proved that it was positive. Amitabh Bachchan’s wife Jaya, daughter Shweta and grandkids Navya and Agastya have tested negative so far, but are required to isolate themselves as they are under quarantine.

Kanika Kapoor: The ‘Babydoll’ singer was admitted to the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS) in Lucknow in March. She was admitted on March 20 when her tests revealed that she was coronavirus positive after her return from London. She had a long battle with the deadly virus as she had tested positive five times before her tests came back negative. She was also slammed for not observing quarantine rules strictly after her foreign travel, but the singer has denied being cavalier about it.

Zoa Morani: Actor Zoa Morani and her family including her father Karim Morani and sister Shaza Morani, tested positive for COVID-19 in March. She had chronicled her stay at the hospital and her symptoms on her social media account. “I had mild fever, and then it worsened over a week, with dry cough, headache and fatigue. It was as if my immunity had taken a hit. When it started, the first thing I did was isolate myself from my parents as I live with them. I also started drinking immunity building drinks like kaada, haldi and tulsi paani, basically lots of fluids,” said Morani at the time.

Anupam Kher’s mother and brother: On July 12, actor Anupam Kher revealed that his mother Dulari, brother Raju and his sister-in-law Rima along with niece Vrinda have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. “This is to inform you that my mother Dulari is found Covid+. We have admitted her into Kokilaben Hospital. My brother, bhabhi and niece inspite of being careful have also tested mildly positive. I got myself tested as well and I have tested negative,” tweeted Kher, adding that BMC has been informed.

Rachel White: The American-Indian actress has also tested positive for the coronavirus. On Saturday, White took to Twitter and confirmed that she has contracted the virus and and is home-quarantined now. “I have tested Covid-19 positive. Quarantined at home. Please keep me in your prayers as I set off on my path to recovery,” White tweeted. The actress has starred in movies such as ‘Ungli’ and ‘Har Har Byomkesh’.

Riddhima Kapoor: Ranbir Kapoor’s sister had to slam rumours that her actor-brother Ranbir and mother Neetu Singh had tested positive for coronavirus. She claimed they are fit and healthy and urged everyone not to spread fake news.

Amit Sadh: The actor — who interacted with Abhishek Bachchan while they dubbed for their web series ‘Breathe: Into The Shadows’ — is awaiting the results of COVID-19 as he was working closely with his co-star, who has tested positive.

Kiran Kumar: The veteran film and TV actor tested positive for coronavirus in May. The 74-year-old actor said at the time he was asymptomatic and was doing “absolutely fine.” “I am asymptomatic. On May 14, I went to the hospital for a medical check-up, where the COVID-19 test was mandatory. So I got myself tested and the result was positive. But I had no symptoms then, nor do I have any now. There’s no fever, no cough, I’m fine and have self quarantined at home,” Kumar told PTI.

Tamannaah Bhatia: Actress Tamannaah Bhatia has revealed that her parents have tested positive for COVID-19, though her report has come in as negative. "My parents were showing mild COVID-19 symptoms over the weekend and as a precautionary measure everyone at home underwent tests immediately. The results have just come in, and unfortunately my parents have tested positive," Bhatia wrote on Instagram. "The necessary authorities have been updated of their situation and we are complying with the precautionary guidelines. The rest of the family members, including myself and the staff have tested negative. By the Grace of God they are coping well and all your prayers and blessings will put them on the road to recovery," she added.

Dilip Kumar: Veteran actor Dilip Kumar’s brother Ehsan Khan is still battling COVID-19 and is in critical condition, Kumar’s wife had said earlier. In an interview with Times of India, Saira Banu also said the family is still coming to terms with the death of Kumar’s other brother Aslam due to the coronavirus on August 21.

SP Balasubrahmanyam: Famed playback SP Balasubrahmanyam, popularly known as SPB, who has recorded over 40,000 songs in 16 languages over a period of five decades continues to battle COVID-19 at a private hospital in Chennai. The singer was admitted to MGM Healthcare with a mild coronavirus infection in early August, but is now on a ventilator and ECMO support and his condition is critical.

SS Rajamouli: Noted Telugu filmmaker SS Rajamouli, known for helming the ‘Baahubali’ films, and his family members had tested COVID-19 positive. “My family members and I developed a slight fever few days ago. It subsided by itself but we got tested nevertheless. The result has shown a mild COVID positive today. We have home quarantined as prescribed by the doctors,” read Rajamouli’s tweet at the time. He and his family have since tested negative. In a tweet, Rajamouli had expressed eagerness to donate his plasma for the purpose of finding a treatment for the virus.

Parth Samthaan: Indian television actor Parth Samthaan, who plays Anurag Basu in Ekta Kapoor’s popular TV show ‘Kasautii Zindagii Kay 2’, had tested positive for COVID-19 along with a few others from the production team in July. Samthaan and the others, including creative head Tanusri Dasgupta, were hospitalised at the time. Samthaan updated fans in late July that he had recovered from the infection.

K Chiranjeevi: Popular Telugu actor and politician K Chiranjeevi on November 9 said he had tested positive for coronavirus. “Took a test for COVID-19 before resuming period drama ‘Acharya’ film’s shoot as a protocol and unfortunately tested positive,” added Chiranjeevi. The Praja Rajyam party founder and former central minister said he was though asymptomatic at present. The 65-year-old actor was in self-quarantine at his home in Hyderabad.