Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai hospitalized for COVID-19 as disease surges in India

Indian actorAishwarya Rai Bachchan and her daughter were hospitalized for COVID-19 treatment, the Times of India reported on Saturday, days after her husband and father-in-law were admitted.

Her father-in-law, Amitabh Bachchan, and husband,Abhishek Bachchan, also major Bollywood celebrities, were admitted to Mumbai's Nanavati Hospital early this week, becoming the highest-profile patients of the pandemic sweeping India.

Aishwarya Rai, a former Miss World who regularly appears on "most beautiful" lists, and her eight-year-old daughter, Aaradhya Bachchan, tested positive for the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

"After Amitabh Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and her daughter Aaradhya have been shifted to Nanavati hospital," the newspaper said, adding that they were admitted to the top Mumbai private hospital on Friday.

A spokespersonfor Aishwarya Rai did not respond to text messages and calls seeking comment.

Fans across India prayed this week for the celebrity family as the virus continued its rapid spread without any sign of a peak.

Aishwarya Rai, 46, has worked on several Bollywood and Hollywood films. She is a brand ambassador for some multinational companies, including L'Oreal.

WATCH | Bollywood's Bachchan family tests positive for COVID-19:

Bollywood's Bachchan family tests positive for COVID-19

4 years ago

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Three generations of Bollywood's Bachchan family have been hit by the coronavirus. India registered a record increase in the number of coronavirus cases on Sunday, taking the total number of affected people in the country to nearly 850,000, the world's third-highest.

India, which has registered more thana million coronavirus cases, has the world's third-highest number of infections, and more than 26,000 people have died of COVID-19. Partial lockdowns have been reimposed in some densely populated areas to control the spread of the virus.