New Delhi: As India grapples with a second wave of Covid, celebrities from the world of movies and sports are finding themselves as much at risk, as their fans. The country recorded over 1 lakh new cases Sunday, and many of those who have contracted the disease recently include film actors and sports stars. Many of them took to social media to announce that they have tested positive for the disease.
Bollywood actors who recently announced that they are Covid positive include Akshay Kumar, Govinda, Vicky Kaushal, and Bhumi Pednekar. IPL players Axar Patel and Devdutt Padikkal have also tested positive for the virus.
Actors who tested positive
Actor Vicky Kaushal is the most recent Bollywood star to have been infected by the virus. The actor took to Instagram Monday to announce that he is Covid positive.
“In spite of all care and precautions, unfortunately, I have tested COVID-19 positive. Following all essential protocols, I am under home quarantine, taking medication as prescribed by my doctor,” he wrote.
The news of his illness came hours after actress Bhumi Pednekar put up a post on Instagram announcing that she is Covid positive, adding that she has “mild symptoms” and is under home quarantine.
Her Pati Patni Aur Woh co-star, Kartik Aaryan, referred to her in his own post, and wrote, “Passing the baton to Bhumi Pednekar.” Aaryan also informed his followers that he has recovered from the disease.
On 22 March, hours after walking the ramp for Manish Malhotra as a showstopper at the Lakme India Fashion Week, the actor had posted a ‘plus’ sign on Instagram, with the caption, “Positive ho Gaya, Dua Karo [I am (Covid) positive, pray for me]”.
Actor Akshay Kumar announced Sunday that he had contracted the virus. The 53-year-old actor took to Twitter Monday to announce that he has been hospitalised and was isolating himself, and urged others who had been in contact with him in the recent past to get themselves tested.
A couple of hours later, actor Govinda’s wife also told the media that the actor had tested positive, was displaying mild symptoms and had quarantined himself.
Last week, Aditya Narayan, the host of the music reality show Indian Idol, revealed on Instagram that he, along with his wife, Shweta Agarwal, had also been infected with the virus.
On 1 April, actress Alia Bhat announced on social media that she has tested positive. The 28-year-old actress wrote, “I have tested positive for Covid-19 and will be under home quarantine. I am following all safety protocols under the advice of my doctors. Grateful for all your love and support. Please stay safe and take care.”
Earlier, on 18 March, actor Aamir Khan had also tested positive. “Mr Aamir Khan has tested positive for Covid-19. He is at home in self-quarantine, following all the protocols and he’s doing fine. All those who came in contact with him in the recent past should get themselves tested as a precautionary measure,” his spokesperson had said.
The next day, Aamir’s 3 Idiots co-star, R. Madhavan, also announced that he was Covid positive. Madhavan’s Twitter post made a reference to their characters in the film, and stated “Farhan HAS to follow Rancho and Virus has always been after us BUT this time he bloody caught up”. Virus was the name the characters used for their college principle, played by Boman Irani.
Actor Manoj Bajpayee had also tested positive for Covid-19 on 12 March and had to virtually launch the trailer of his upcoming film, Silence… Can You Hear It, on 17 March. The actor’s illness came after the director of his upcoming film, Desptach, Kanu Behl, tested positive.
Before that, on 9 March, filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali had also tested positive, while shooting for the film Gangubai Kathiawadi in Mumbai’s Goregaon Film City.
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Covid scare hits IPL
Meanwhile, many from the world of sports too have been infected with the virus. Former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, who tested positive on 27 March, was admitted to hospital on 2 April, after displaying mild symptoms. Tendulkar, in a tweet, confirmed he had been hospitalised as a precautionary measure and hoped to be discharged in a few days.
Several IPL players also bore the brunt of the virus spread ahead of their matches beginning 9 April in Mumbai.
IPL team Delhi Capitals’ all-rounder Axar Patel tested positive for Covid-19 Saturday and is likely to miss his team’s opening match against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on 10 April owing to the 10-day mandatory quarantine period. Another IPL player likely to miss his first match owing to Covid infection is Royal Challengers Bangalore’s star player Devdutt Padikkal. His team is set to play against Mumbai Indians on 9 April.
(Edited by Poulomi Banerjee)
Also read: Coronavirus: Latest updates on cases in India, all you need to know about COVID-19