Prem Chopra, wife hospitalised after COVID-19; Alaya F tests negative

Veteran actor Prem Chopra and his wife Uma Chopra were on Monday admitted to a hospital here after testing positive for COVID-19, a senior doctor treating the couple said. According to Dr Jalil Parkar, the 86-year-old veteran, along with his wife, was admitted to the Lilavati Hospital here. Both are likely to be discharged in “a day or two”, he added. “Prem Chopra and his wife tested positive for covid-19 and were admitted under Dr Jalil Parkar in Lilavati hospital for treatment. “They both have received the monoclonal antibody cocktail and are recuperating well. Hopefully (he) will be discharged in a day or two. At the age of 86 years (he) is responding quite well,” Parkar said in a statement. Prem Chopra, known for playing iconic villain roles in Hindi films like Bobby, Do Raaste, and Kati Patang, is the latest Bollywood personality to have contracted the virus. Meanwhile, on Sunday, 2 January, director Rahul Rawail tested positive for Covid-19. The filmmaker is currently under quarantine and taking all the necessary precautions. The 70-year-old director had contracted the virus last week. The same was confirmed by the director, reports Press Trust of India. Rawail has directed films like Arjun in 1983 and Betaab in 1985. Actor Delnaaz Irani has tested positive for COVID-19 and is currently under home quarantine, makers of her new show said on Monday. The actor will be seen on the show Kabhi Kabhie Ittefaq Sey which is set to air from Monday. According to a statement from producers Rajesh Ram Singh and Pradeep Kumar of Cockcrow and Shaika Entertainment, the producers have also got the entire cast and crew tested for COVID-19. “Delnaaz Irani who is an integral part of the TV show Kabhi Kabhie Ittefaq Sey has tested positive for COVID-19. As soon as the symptoms were detected, she received medical help and has quarantined herself. Immediately thereupon the entire cast and crew were isolated and tested,” the producers said in a statement. “The BMC is informed and the sets will be fumigated and sterilized as per the protocol. Currently, the artist is receiving medical attention and is under home quarantine. We are constantly in touch with the entire team as their health is our priority. We stand by our commitment to safety and will continue to ensure that all measures prescribed by the authorities are being adhered to,” the statement further read. Actor Alaya F had tested positive for Covid-19 a week ago, and has since then tested negative for the virus. The actor took to her social media pages to let her fans know about her diagnosis. Other actors who tested positive for COVID include John Abraham and his wife Priya Runchal, producer Ekta Kapoor , actors Mrunal Thakur, Nora Fatehi, producer Rhea Kapoor  and her filmmaker-husband Karan Boolani. On Sunday, Mumbai recorded a steep rise in the daily coronavirus cases with 8,063 infections, which were 1,763 more than the figure added to the tally on Saturday. (With inputs from Press Trust of India)