Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan has been admitted to hospital with coronavirus.

The 77-year-old is one of India’s most prominent stars and has previously been named among the highest paid actors in the world on Forbes’ rich list.

On Saturday, Amitabh confirmed to his 43 million Twitter followers that he had tested positive for the virus and had been “shifted to hospital”. 

He tweeted: “Family and staff undergone tests, results awaited.

“All that have been in close proximity to me in the last 10 days are requested to please get themselves tested,” he said.

His son Abhishek, also an actor, said on Twitter that he had contracted the virus as well.

He said that both he and his father have “mild symptoms”, adding: “I request all to stay calm and not panic.”

India is currently in the midst of a sharp rise in coronavirus cases, according to the Associated Press.

On Saturday, the country reported a new daily high of 27,114 cases and a partial lockdown has been imposed in several high-risk areas.