Amitabh Bachchan: Bollywood icon rushed to hospital after testing positive for coronavirus

His son Abhishek has also contracted the virus
Amitabh Bachchan alongside fellow actors Leonardo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan at the 2013 Cannes premiere of 'The Great Gatsby'
WireImage

One of Bollywood's biggest stars has been admitted to hospital with coronavirus.

Amitabh Bachchan, 77, confirmed to his 43 million Twitter followers that he had tested positive for Covid-19.

The Indian movie icon said in a message posted on Saturday evening that he had been “shifted to hospital” after contracting the disease.

He added: “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."

David Cameron (centre) and Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan (right) sit side-by-side at a 2015 ceremony unveiling a statue of Mahatma Gandhi
AFP via Getty Images

His son Abhishek, 44, also an actor, then tweeted that he, too, had been struck down with the virus.

He said that both he and his father have “mild symptoms”, adding: “I request all to stay calm and not panic.”

The elder Bachchan, who is a household name in India, 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 then-Prime Minister David Cameron.

India is currently in the midst of a sharp rise in coronavirus cases.

On Saturday the country reported a new daily high of 27,114 cases. Meanwhile, a partial lockdown has been imposed in several high-risk areas.

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