Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan has opened up about his experience fighting COVID-19 alongside his father, veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan last year in July.
In an Instagram Live session with international motivational speaker Anand Chulani, Abhishek said his father had been “good company to have,” and that it had been wonderful to wake up and go see his father, a 78-year-old man with severe comorbidities, have the fighting spirit to battle the virus.
The actor described what it had been like for him. “Everybody has their own unique experience with COVID, I think people react to it differently. It was not a nice experience for me because you know I had a family that was inflicted by this as well. If you are in a situation where you are under medical supervision, you are very powerless,” said Abhishek.
Abhishek also spoke about the feelings of helplessness and uncertainty that he experienced when he was undergoing treatment for COVID-19. “Your life is being run by the medical teams so you are not really in control of your faculties in that sense and you don’t really have any power over what you do. You are not too sure what is going on as there is a lot of uncertainty about how things are going to pan out. The initial nights when I was in hospital, it was tough to sleep because I didn’t really know what awaited me on the other side.”
He admitted that he had been scared for his father, but also felt wonderful when he saw that Big B was showing an amazing fighting spirit. The actor added that Amitabh had been good company to have around. “Well, he is good company to have, so it was wonderful to wake up and go see my father who last year was 78 years old, a man with severe comorbidities but him being positive and having that fighting spirit to get through this. At that point of time my energies were obviously directed towards him and him becoming better because you fear for your parents, it’s actually of a sensitive age group.”
Abhishek stressed that keeping a positive mindset was the only thing in one’s control at that point and that it could get challenging at times.
Confessing that it was his father who got him though his sleepless nights in the hospital, Abhishek said, “Initially, my father and I were in the hospital together. A week later my wife and daughter were hospitalised. Thankfully, they only had to be there for about a week then they came out, and my dad and I stayed on for a bit longer because we hadn’t tested negative.
“I mean he is also a great friend of mine, so it was good to shoot the breeze with him and you know when you are a COVID patient although you can interact with other patients, there is nothing else to do, you just have to wait around. So, there was some good banter that went on, I mean he is a good roomy in that sense.”
Abhishek concluded on an optimistic note and shared what the previous year had taught him. “The one thing that the last one year has taught me is you got to value your relationship and value the fact that you have a happy and healthy family around you. There was a point in time I was frustrated during the lockdown but then my wife put things into perspective for me and told me how for the first time in many years I could sit back, not be working round the clock and enjoy the company of my family in the safety of my home. That by itself, is a blessing,” he said.