Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai after Covid-19 recovery – from Netflix’s Ludo to the Bollywood couple's first family outing outside Mumbai
Despite the coronavirus outbreak ruining 2020 for pretty much everyone, Abhishek Bachchan has stayed busy – and undaunted. The enterprising Bollywood star, who turns 45 on February 5, has turned his attention to digital platforms while the pandemic continues to wreak havoc on the Hindi film industry.
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The low-profile actor, who has a considerable following on social media – 6.7 million on Instagram and 15.4 million on Twitter – was among several stars who tested positive for Covid-19 in 2020, as did his father, wife and daughter Aaradhya. Such is the Bachchan name and its dizzying fandom that millions of people prayed for their recovery.
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Best known for starring turns in films like Bunty Aur Babli (2005), Guru (2007) and the Dhoom blockbuster franchise, Abhishek made his digital debut in July 2020 on Amazon Prime Video with the acclaimed thriller series Breathe: Into the Shadows. He has also starred in the dark comedy Ludo on Netflix.
Meanwhile Aishwarya seems to be taking a break since she recovered from Covid-19. The actress, who has kept a low profile these past few months, was seen with Abhishek and Aaradhya in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, a few weeks ago. It reportedly was the first time she left Mumbai since the city went into lockdown in March 2020. The actress will next be seen in the Tamil historical film Ponniyin Selvan, due out in late 2021.
But it’s for something else that Bachchan junior is in the spotlight: the professional kabaddi team, Jaipur Pink Panthers (JPP), which he bought in 2014, and which went on to win the inaugural Pro Kabaddi League the same year. Kabaddi is a traditional Indian contact sport that seemed to be dying a slow death - until Abhishek trained a light on it.
So popular are the JPP (the team even boasts a Korean player, Dong Gyu Kim) that Amazon launched a series, Sons of the Soil: Jaipur Panthers, directed by Briton Alex Gale.
The unscripted documentary offers an “unfiltered” – according to Abhishek – behind-the-scenes peek into the indigenous game and its steady transformation from forgotten to famous and commercially viable. It is an astonishing success in a country refuses to end its obsessive love affair with cricket.
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The road has not been without challenges. Abhishek, who is said to be “hands on” in his involvement with the prized team, says in the documentary: “I ask myself why do I put myself through this? The agony, the ecstasy, the highs and the lows, and the heartbreak.”
But the game drew more than 400 million viewers during the inaugural season, and kabaddi has grown in stature to become the second-most popular sport in India.
Abhishek also has the lead role in the upcoming biopic The Big Bull, about the life and financial crimes of infamous Indian stockbroker Harshad Mehta.
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- The Bollywood power couple were spotted with daughter Aaradhya in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, a few weeks ago
- Guru and Dhoom star Bachchan made his streaming debut in Amazon Prime’s thriller series Breathe: Into the Shadows and Netflix dark comedy film Ludo