Amitabh Bachchan readmitted to Mumbai hospital

     Mumbai: Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan has been readmitted to Mumbai's Leelavati hospital after he complained of abdominal pain again on Monday night. Bachchan, inarguably India's best and most loved actor, was named "Superstar of the Millennium" in a BBC Online Poll in 1999, ahead of luminaries such as Charlie Chaplin, Sir Lawrence Olivier, and Marlon Brando. Bachchan, who is currently enjoying a second, more loved acting stint in 36-year-long career, has risen like a phoenix again after a slump in the last few years.

     The sixty three-year-old Bachchan complained of severe abdominal pain on Monday while driving down to attend a felicitation function for his poet father Harivansh Rai Bachchcan in northern Lucknow. He was then rushed to Escorts hospital in New Delhi where he was made to undergo key health tests. Doctors at the hospital had then dimissed rumours of Bachchan suffering from any major health problem, saying it was a mild pain. Bachchan was discharged after undergoing a sonography and CT scan, both of which were declared normal. But the veteran actor, who was seriously hit during the shooting of his movie `Coolie' some 22 years ago, again complained of pain, and is now undergoing treatment. Bachchan was injured after being hit by character actor Puneet Issar in the stomach. The who's who of the film industry and Anil Ambani of the Reliance Group along with his wife Tina Ambani were the first ones to arrive to meet Bachchan at the Leelavati Hospital.

    Bachchan began his film career in 1969 with a series of flops, but rose to become an immensely popular actor with an appeal spanning three generations of viewers. He was popular for his initial action roles but has since graduated into being a virtual one-man-industry. Bachchan was considered 'finished' in the late nineties after maintaining his superstar status for 20 years. But he made an unexpected but a very successful comeback on television as the host of the popular quiz series "Kaun Banega Crorepati?" based on "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" That stint put him right back on the number one position in Bollywood, reaffirming his reputation as the living legend of Indian cinema with a series of high profile films including Baghban (Caretaker) and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (Some Times Happy, Some Times Sad).

Amitabh Bachchan fans pray for his recovery

     Kolkata/Ahmedabad/Mumbai: A day after Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan was readmitted to a hospital in Mumbai following complaints of severe abdominal pain, thousands of worried fans across India on Tuesday prayed for his speedy recovery. As news of Amitabh's re-admission spread, his fans from across the city rushed to the hospital in a bid to get a glimpse of their favourite star and a feedback on his health. "We will pray for his long health and we will not leave this place until he is discharged," said Ishaq Ahmed, a fan. Afsar Zaman, another fan, said: "We all are praying for Amitabh's long life. We pray that he stays before us forever." In Kolkata, a group of Bachchan's fans holding posters and placards with get-well messages came together and held a fire ritual and a prayer meeting at a temple for the superstar. Abhijit Mukherjee, a fan of the megastar, said: "We have prayed to God that Amitabh Bachchan should get well as soon as possible and come back from the hospital." Fans in Ahmedabad as well, prayed to posters of Bachchan, for his good health as news of his re-admission spread.