Amitabh Bachchan has denied reports that he has tested negative for Covid-19.
Drawing attention to one clip in particular, the Bollywood legend retweeted a Times Now video on Thursday, July 23, writing: "This news is incorrect, irresponsible, fake and an incorrigible lie!"
The banner of the Twitter video reads: "Amitabh Bachchan tests -ve for Covid." In the clip, filmmaker Ashoke Pandit discusses Bachchan's health with a news anchor.
.. this news is incorrect , irresponsible , fake and an incorrigible LIE !! https://t.co/uI2xIjMsUU
— Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) July 23, 2020
"We are hoping to get an official word that Amitabh Bachchan is now fully recovered," the Times Now newsreader says.
"It's good news, [not only for us] in the industry but for the entire country at large, all his fans, all those who prayed for him and his fast recovery," Pandit told the anchor. "We were all sure he would get well very soon."
"I am sure the family now will test negative and they will all get well very soon," he continued.
The anchor then reflected on the spirit of Bachchan, who she says "didn't seem to let Covid get the upper hand, even while he was hospitalised". She paid particular attention to the poems he shared for fans on Twitter.
"[Yes,] Bachchan has always been very positive," Pandit replies in the clip. "He has been a fighter, he has been encouraging people to do good things, he has been promoting injections ... he comes out for social causes."
Multiple news reports suggested that Bachchan, 77, and his son, Abhishek Bachchan, 41, tested negative for the coronavirus before the actor made his Twitter statement. Abhishek has not yet commented on his social media.
The father and son were admitted to hospital in India on Saturday, July 11. At the time they were described by authorities as "stable with mild symptoms".
The following day, Abhishek's wife Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, 46, and their daughter, Aaradhya, 8, both tested positive for Covid-19. At first, they were described as asymptomatic, however, they were admitted to hospital on Friday, July 17, after complaining of "breathlessness". At the time, a hospital representative assured fans "they are fine".
All four family members are thought to remain at Nanavati Hospital in Mumbai.
The four actors are among the most high-profile people in India to have tested positive for Covid-19. At the time of writing, the country of 1.38 billion people had reported more than 29,800 deaths and more than 1.2 million cases of the coronavirus.
