Amitabh Bachchan, arguably the biggest film star in India and patriarch of the Bachchan family, has tested positive for coronavirus, and has been hospitalized in Mumbai. The 77-year-old, nicknamed Big B, made the announcement to his 43.3 million followers on Saturday. He urged anyone who came in contact with him in the last 10 days to get tested.
Bachchan’s son, actor Abhishek Bachchan, also tested positive, and has been hospitalized with him.
On Sunday, Abishek’s wife, actress and former Miss World pageant-winner Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, and their eight-year-old daughter tested positive as well. It is unclear if they have been admitted to a hospital at this time.
Amitabh’s wife, actress Jaya Bachchan, has tested negative.
India currently ranks third in current Covid-19 increases, behind Brazil and the United States, with approximately 30,000 new cases reported daily. Borders between states within India are closely patrolled and international travel is blocked. Despite the increased infection rate, India’s death rate is far lower than the U.S. or Brazil, or other nations that were hit hard like Spain and Italy.
Amitabh Bachchan has a tremendous footprint in Indian culture. His breakout was the 1973 film Zanjeer, in which he assumed his then-“Angry Young Man” persona. In 1978 he starred in Don, a crime picture with one of the greatest theme songs in cinema.
In 1982, while shooting the film Coolie, he suffered an injury during a stunt, and was hospitalized for months. His recovery process galvanized the nation, with one fan walking backward from Hyderabad to Mumbai in his honor, according to Reuters.
In the 1980s he entered politics for a few years, before devoting himself fully to acting again. In 2000’s Mohabbatein, he made his first appearance opposite Shah Rukh Khan, twenty-three years his junior and heir apparent as India’s most popular male star. The follow-up, 2001’s Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham…, held the Indian box office records for years. He also appeared as Meyer Wolfsheim in Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby, a rare appearance in a non-Indian production.
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