Akshay Kumar says he was hit by ‘heavy Covid’ 3 years ago and is ‘still working’ to regain his stamina

Akshay Kumar has been diagnosed with the coronavirus on two occasions. He also donated handsomely to the PM-Cares fund during the first wave of the pandemic.

By: Entertainment Desk

New Delhi | Updated: February 23, 2023 12:50 PM IST

2 min read

Akshay Kumar's The Entertainers concert cancelled in New Jersey

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Actor Akshay Kumar said that he is suffering from ‘heavy Covid’ after contracting the virus some years ago, and is still working on regaining his stamina ahead of an elaborate world tour of live performances. In an interview with Connect FM Canada, the actor spoke about rebuilding his stamina ahead of the tour.

Akshay said in Hindi, “I’ll tell you one thing, doing live shows is a different high altogether. In films, you get multiple takes; if you don’t get the desired shot in the first go, you try again. Songs are shot in parts, which are cut together. I’m used to performing long shows. If I get on stage, I don’t want to leave before 35-40 minutes.”

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“Some years ago, I got Covid. It was heavy Covid, and because of that, I lost quite a lot of my strength and stamina. I’ve been shooting, but you don’t really need a lot of stamina to shoot. You need to be strong, but you don’t need stamina, because shots are constructed in bits and pieces. When I got to know that I’m doing this show, I took it as a challenge, because then, I will have to start working on my stamina. To perform for 35-40 minutes continuously, you require a lot of stamina. I’m still working on it, I hope I can achieve what I want.”

Akshay was diagnosed with Covid in April 2021, which was when he admitted himself into hospital as a ‘precautionary measure’. He tested positive for the virus for the second time last year, just before he was scheduled to fly to France to attend the Cannes Film Festival. Akshay also donated Rs 25 crore to the PM-Cares fund during the first wave of the pandemic in 2020.

The actor has been especially busy during the pandemic era; he starred in five films in 2022 alone, and was among the first stars to have a movie release directly on streaming. He will be seen in the film Selfiee this Friday.

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