India Star Aishwarya Rai Bachchan Coronavirus-Positive, Joining Father in Law, Husband

Indian film actor Abhishek Bachchan, his wife Aishwarya Rai and their daughter Aaradhya in a 2019. (Reuters)
Indian film actor Abhishek Bachchan, his wife Aishwarya Rai and their daughter Aaradhya in a 2019. (Reuters)
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India Star Aishwarya Rai Bachchan Coronavirus-Positive, Joining Father in Law, Husband

Indian film actor Abhishek Bachchan, his wife Aishwarya Rai and their daughter Aaradhya in a 2019. (Reuters)
Indian film actor Abhishek Bachchan, his wife Aishwarya Rai and their daughter Aaradhya in a 2019. (Reuters)

Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and her daughter tested positive for the new coronavirus on Sunday, a day after her father-in-law and top Indian actor Amitabh Bachchan and her husband and actor Abhishek were hospitalized for COVID-19.

Maharastra state health minister Rajesh Tope said in a tweet that Aishwarya and her eight-year-old daughter had tested positive for the virus that causes the disease.

It was not clear whether had been admitted to hospital, as Amitabh and Abhishek were on Saturday, when they said they had mild symptoms.

Hospital officials and government health authorities said earlier on Sunday that Amitabh and his Abhishek were in stable condition.

Aishwarya, 46, a former Miss World who often features on “most beautiful” lists, has worked on several Bollywood and Hollywood films. She is a brand ambassador for several multinational companies.

India on Sunday registered a record increase in the number of novel coronavirus cases taking the total number of affected people in the country to nearly 850,000 forcing authorities to re-impose partial lockdown in some densely populated areas.

Federal health ministry data showed that more than 27,100 new cases reported in the last 24 hours while the death toll increased to 22,674, after 551 people succumbed in a day.

The 77-year-old legendary actor Amitabh said in a tweet on Saturday night that he had tested positive for the infectious virus.

Within minutes, his actor son Abhishek Bachchan, 44, tweeted that he had also tested positive.

Both were moved to the Nanavati Hospital in Mumbai despite showing only mild symptoms and the father-son duo appealed to their millions of fans to stay calm.

Authorities launched a massive sanitizing drill at Bachchan’s upscale residence in Mumbai, spraying disinfectant in the large compound and on cars parked there.

Amitabh Bachchan has been a prominent figure in the fight against the coronavirus by appearing in public service advertisements in which he urges people to wear a mask, wash hands frequently and maintain social distance in his trademark baritone.

India’s film industry recently resumed film shoots after a months-long hiatus following the imposition of a nationwide lockdown in late March.

But actors over 65, such as Amitabh, are banned from the sets because of their vulnerability to the virus.



Sunday's Golden Globes to Launch Hollywood's Awards Festivities

FILE - Event signage appears above the red carpet at the 77th annual Golden Globe Awards, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2020, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)
FILE - Event signage appears above the red carpet at the 77th annual Golden Globe Awards, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2020, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)
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Sunday's Golden Globes to Launch Hollywood's Awards Festivities

FILE - Event signage appears above the red carpet at the 77th annual Golden Globe Awards, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2020, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)
FILE - Event signage appears above the red carpet at the 77th annual Golden Globe Awards, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2020, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)

Hollywood will kick off its 2025 awards festivities on Sunday at the annual Golden Globes ceremony where films such as "Wicked,The Brutalist" and "Emilia Perez" compete for trophies and attention ahead of the Oscars.
Timothee Chalamet, Selena Gomez, Ariana Grande and Angelina Jolie are among the stars in the running for acting honors at the red-carpet ceremony that will be hosted for the first time by comedian Nikki Glaser. The show will be broadcast live on CBS and stream on Paramount+, Reuters reported.
Spanish-language musical "Emilia Perez" and post-World War Two epic "The Brutalist" lead the night's movie nominees.
"The Brutalist" stars Adrien Brody as a Holocaust survivor who flees to the United States to chase the American dream. The 3-1/2 hour tale is considered a frontrunner for the night's top prize, best film drama.
Competitors include "Conclave," about the selection of a pope, and two movies starring Chalamet - Bob Dylan biopic "A Complete Unknown" and sci-fi epic "Dune - Part II."
Unlike the Oscars, musical and comedy films compete in a separate category at the Globes. Nominees in that field include box office smash "Wicked" and dark romantic comedy "Anora."
Winning a Globe can help films in the run-up to the Academy Awards in March. If a movie or actor takes home a Globe, "it increases the likelihood a member of the film academy will check out that project," said Scott Feinberg, executive editor for awards at The Hollywood Reporter.
Feinberg predicted "The Brutalist" or "Conclave" would earn the drama prize at the Globes. The musical or comedy category is harder to gauge, he said, because the nominees are so different from one another.
"Emilia Perez," a musical thriller, tells the story of a Mexican drug lord who transitions from a man to a woman. "Wicked," a prequel to "The Wizard of Oz," was adapted from a popular Broadway stage show.
"Anora," about a sex worker who marries the son of a Russian oligarch, is more of a traditional comedy while "The Substance" starring Demi Moore as a fading celebrity seeking a fountain of youth, is essentially a horror movie, Feinberg said.
"That (category) is just all over the place," Feinberg said.
Winners of the Globes are chosen by 334 entertainment journalists from 85 countries, compared with roughly 9,000 voters who select the Academy Awards. The Globes voting body was expanded in recent years and organizers instituted reforms after being criticized for ethical lapses and a lack of diversity.
In TV categories, restaurant tale "The Bear" leads the Globes nominees, followed by mystery comedy "Only Murders in the Building" and historical epic "Shogun."