SP Balasubramaniam still critical on ventilator; Rajini, Rahman and others pray for singer's recovery

Music composer Wajid Khan and one-half of the duo Sajid-Wajid passed away in the wee hours of June 1 following a cardiac arrest. The singer had reportedly tested positive for Covid-19 and was also suffering from a kidney infection.

Wajid’s death sent shockwaves throughout the country and the who’s who from B-Town took to social media to express anguish at the loss of the music star.

Wajid had a special connection with Bollywood megastar Salman Khan, having composed music for and many of his films. Salman took to Twitter to mourn his demise and wrote, “Wajid Vil always love, respect, remember n miss u as a person n ur talent, Love u n may your beautiful soul rest in peace.”

Soon, reports emerged that Wajid’s mother had also tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

Veteran actor Kiran Kumar, known for films like 'Vishwatma', 'Patthar Ke Phool', 'Dhadkan', 'Mujhse Dosti Karoge', tested positive for Covid-19 on May 19. Kumar, however, said that he was asymptomatic and was doing ‘absolutely fine’.

The 74-year-old actor did not have fever or cough and was self-quarantined at home. The actor used this time as an opportunity to ‘introspect and focus on life’s small pleasures.’ Kumar tested negative for Covid-19 on May 27. A week after testing positive, the actor’s third coronavirus test came negative.

After his recovery, Kumar thanked the doctors at Mumbai’s Hinduja and Lilavati hospitals for taking good care of him. "For being by our side in these challenging times, I'd like to say a loud and resonating thank you to all our support staff," Kumar said, expressing gratitude.

Singer Kanika Kapoor, known for crooning popular hit numbers like ‘Baby Doll’ and ‘Chittiyaan Kalaiyaan’ became the centre of controversy when she tested positive for Covid-19 on March 20. Her social ‘non-distancing’ was highly debated and discussed on social media, with some condemning her for not taking social distancing norms seriously.

On March 21, Kanika was charged with criminal negligence by the UP Police. The singer subsequently tested positive for Covid-19 five times and was discharged from the hospital on April 6 after testing negative twice.

The singer went on to issue a statement clarifying that she followed all the norms and safety measures when she came to Mumbai from London and attended the infamous Lucknow bash which also had some political leaders in attendance.

The 41-year-old, after fully recovering from Covid-19, offered to donate her plasma to those suffering from Covid-19.

When Kanika Kapoor was grabbing headlines for testing positive for Covid-19 five times consecutively, news emerged that film producer Karim Morani’s daughter, Shaza, had tested positive for Covid-19. Morani, who is known for producing films like ‘Chennai Express’, ‘Dilwale’, ‘Happy New Year’ among others, confirmed the news on April 6.

Shaza had reportedly returned from Australia, just when the 21-day nation-wide lockdown was announced in India. Hours after she tested positive, her twin Zoa, who had returned from Rajasthan on March 15, also tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

Just when it seemed like the Morani family was the worst-hit by Covid-19, news reports claiming that the patriarch of the family, Karim had also tested positive emerged. His wife and other staff from the house had tested negative," Karim's brother Mohammed Morani, told PTI.

Subsequently Zoa, Shaza and Karim tested negative for Covid-19. Nearly a month after recovering from coronavirus, Zoa announced that she will be donating her plasma to Covid-19 patients.

Coronavirus hit not just B-Town, but the TV industry too. Actor Purab Kohli, who starred in the popular ‘90s show ‘Hip Hip Hurray’ and lives in London with his wife Lucy Payton, daughter Inaya, and son Osian, took to Instagram on April 9 to announce that his family had contracted the novel coronavirus.

In a lengthy post, the 'Rock On! 2' star confirmed that his daughter contracted mild Covid-19 first, which was a cough and cold for two days. Then, it was his wife who got infected and faced chest congestion due to the 'cough symptom everyone has been talking about'.

Kohli was the third to get a 'horrid, solid cold for one day' which vanished, and then an irritating cough set in for three days. His son got it the last with a 104 degree Celsius fever for three nights, a runny nose and slight cough.

On April 11, Kohli took to Instagram to announce that his family had ‘fully recovered’ from the novel coronavirus and thanked his fans and well-wishers for the constant support.

Mohena Kumari, of ‘Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai’ fame, was the second TV star to test positive for Covid-19 on June 2. “Yes, the news is true, seven from our family have been tested positive for Covid-19, but we are doing fine now,” Kumari told ETimes.

In addition to the 31-year-old actress, her husband, Suyyesh Rawat, the son of Uttarakhand Tourism Minister Satpal Maharaj with whom she tied the knot last year in October, has also tested positive. Not only Kumari’s husband, but her mother-in-law, sister-in-law and others in the family have also tested positive for Covid-19.

Kumari said that her entire family is hospitalised. The TV star also said that she understands that there are bigger issues like the migrant crisis to deal with and that she is not in a position to complain.

Not just B-Town and the TV industry, but India Inc was also terribly hit by Covid-19. Reliance Entertainment Group CEO and the producer of Akshay Kumar-starrer ‘Sooryavanshi’, Shibasis Sarkar, tested positive for Covid-19 on May 31 and was admitted to Kokilaben Hospital, Mumbai.

“He tested positive for Covid-19. He is recovering and his fever has gone down,” an insider told PTI. A few days prior to his diagnosis, Sarkar had participated in a webinar where he talked about Reliance Entertainment’s two upcoming releases, ‘Sooryavanshi’ and ‘83’, which stand delayed amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Renowned Indian astrologer Bejan Daruwalla, passed away on May 29 at the age of 89 after he succumbed to a lung infection. A week prior, the astrologer was admitted to a private hospital in Ahmedabad and was put on ventilator support.

After the news of his passing emerged, several media reports suggested that he had died due to coronavirus. His astrologer-son, Nastur, however denied those reports. Earlier it was reported that Daruwalla had tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Saturday.

His son, however, quashed the rumours, and had confirmed to the Times of India on Sunday that his father had been suffering from pneumonia and lung infection, and the oxygen level in his body had dipped.

Born in July 1931, Daruwalla was a known Ganesha devotee who combined the principles of various techniques like Vedic astrology, Numerology, Palmistry, I-Ching, Tarot, Kabalah and even Western astrology for his predictions.

Indian boxer Dingko Singh, who won the 1998 Asian Games gold medal, tested positive for the novel coronavirus on June 1. Singh is also battling cancer.

“He was negative when he left Delhi but has tested positive on his return to Manipur,” a source told PTI.

The 41-year-old, who is already battling liver cancer, was flown to New Delhi last month by the Boxing Federation of India in an air ambulance free of cost. Singh’s scheduled radiation therapy in March was delayed because of the initial national lockdown.