Superstar Akshay Kumar on Sunday tweeted he has tested positive for the novel coronavirus and is under home quarantine, while advising those who were in close contact with him to take precautions.
As the filming of Amazon Prime Video India’s first Hindi film production Ram Setu, starring Akshay Kumar in the lead role, was presently underway, the filming of the flick may be impacted by the superstar’s illness and the stringent restrictions being put in place from today by the Maharashtra government.
The 53-year-old actor, who plays an archaeologist in `Ram Setu’, took to Twitter to share his diagnosis and said he is following all the necessary protocols, PTI reported.
“I wish to inform everyone that, earlier this morning, I have tested positive for COVID-19. Following all the protocols I have immediately isolated myself. I am under home quarantine and have sought necessary medical care,” Akshay said in a Twitter post. It needs to be seen how quickly he recovers to resume normal duties on the set of ‘Ram Setu’.
“I would sincerely request all those that have come in contact with me get themselves tested and take care. Back in action soon!” Akshay said.
Kumar is the latest Bollywood celebrity to have tested positive for COVID-19 after Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Aditya Narayan, Rupali Ganguly, Kartik Aaryan and Aamir Khan, Govinda, among others, according to the PTI report.
On Saturday, the Indian state of Maharashtra reported 49,447 fresh COVID-19 cases, the highest rise in a day so far, taking the tally to 29,53,523.
Meanwhile, co-producing ‘Ram Setu’along with Akshay’s home production banner, marks the streaming giant’s foray into film production in India.
According to an earlier Bloomberg report, India is one of Amazon’s fastest growing Prime Video markets, where founder Jeff Bezos has said it is doing better than anywhere else in the world.
“We are delighted to further take a step into co-producing by collaborating with a film that highlights our Indian heritage,” Bloomberg quoted Vijay Subramanium, the head of content at Amazon Prime Video India, as saying earlier while making the announcement in March.
The film’s title is the Hindi name for Adam’s Bridge, a chain of limestone shoals linking the southern state of Tamil Nadu to the neighbouring island nation of Sri Lanka.
Indian mythology holds that the bridge was built by an army, led by the Hindu god-king Ram, during his invasion of the island nation to free his wife Sita who had been kidnapped by the demon-king Ravan.
In India, Amazon’s Prime loyalty program, which offers free delivery, early access to deals during sales and free music and video streaming, costs Rs. 999 rupees ($13.77) a year.
Despite its promise, India is also a market in which Amazon recently had to issue a rare public apology for hurting religious sentiment over some scenes in its original TV series, ‘Tandav’.
That controversy has put Bollywood, Amazon Prime Video and rivals such as Netflix on edge, prompting closer scrutiny of scripts for possible offence to religious sentiment in a key growth market, Bloomberg said in the dispatch.