Actor Akshay Kumar won’t be attending Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant’s wedding in Mumbai on Friday, as he has tested positive for the coronavirus.
Akshay previously tested positive in the early days of the pandemic, and then again in 2022. The actor will skip not only the Ambani wedding, but also the final leg of promotions for his latest release, Sarfira, a source confirmed to indianexpress.com.
Akshay attended the Ambanis’ pre-wedding celebrations in Jamnagar earlier this year, where he delivered a power-packed dance performance. Akshay felt unwell after some crew members of his promotions team contracted the virus. He tested positive on Friday morning.
Anant Ambani had personally invited him to his wedding, which Akshay won’t be able to attend as he has ‘isolated himself’. In an interview with HT after the Jamnagar event, Akshay had said, “It happened around 3 in the morning. It was grand of course, but besides that the Ambani family was so loving and caring, they left no stone unturned to make everyone feel included. Anant and Radhika were very gracious hosts, may Mahakaal bless the happy couple.”
Akshay first tested positive for the coronavirus in 2021. “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,” he’d written in a note shared on X (formerly Twitter). Akshay was filming Ram Setu at the time, and it was said that several crew members had tested positive as well. Akshay contracted the virus again in 2022, just before he was supposed to represent India at the Cannes Film Festival. “Was really looking forward to rooting for our cinema at the India Pavilion at #Cannes2022, but have sadly tested positive for Covid. Will rest it out. Loads of best wishes to you and your entire team, @ianuragthakur. Will really miss being there,” he wrote on social media.
In an interview with Connect FM Canada in 2023, the actor said that he suffered from ‘heavy COVID’, and that he was still struggling to regain lost stamina. “Some years ago, I got Covid. It was heavy Covid, and because of that, I lost quite a lot of my strength and stamina,” he said. The actor donated Rs 25 crore to the PM-Cares relief fund during the first wave of the pandemic in 2020, and participated in one of the earliest rounds of filming when lockdowns were lifted.
Source: Indian Express
BDST: 1717 HRS, JULY 12, 2024
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