Coronavirus outbreak: Aamir Khan urges Chinese fans to take precautions
What's the story
Bollywood actor Aamir Khan, who commands a strong fan base in China, has expressed concern over the catastrophic coronavirus outbreak in the country and advised people to follow the set precautions and instructions. The coronavirus outbreak, that originated in China's Hubei province last year, has claimed over 2,300 lives in the country. Here are more details.
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Khan interacted with fans in China via Weibo
Khan (54) recently interacted with his fans in China through his account on Weibo, a Twitter-like social media platform popular in the country. In a video message posted on Friday, Khan said, "A very warm hello to all my friends in China. Since I read about the outbreak of coronavirus over there, I have been extremely concerned."
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My heartfelt condolences to those who've lost somebody, Khan said
Khan added in the video, "I have been in touch with a few of my friends and I have been following this tragedy with a lot of pain in my heart. My heartfelt condolences to those who have lost somebody close."
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Take care, take precautions and follow the instructions: Khan
Khan added, "I know that these are very difficult times. I am sure the administration is doing all that they can to bring back things to control...and the best that we can do at this time is to take care, take precautions, and follow the instructions of the administration and help them to help us." "Sending you all my love, take care," he concluded.
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Khan commands a cult fan following in China
Notably, Khan commands a cult following in China and is perhaps the most successful Hindi movie star there. While the actor is known in China since his 3 Idiots (2009) days, he became a household name after Dangal. The sports drama, based on the life of Mahavir Singh Phogat and his wrestler daughters Geeta and Babita, became quite a phenomenon among Chinese fans.
Movies
Khan's 'Dangal' is China's highest-grossing non-Hollywood foreign movie
Khan-starrer PK minted ¥ 118 million (Rs. 121) crore in China, becoming the first-ever Indian movie to collect Rs. 100 crore in a foreign market. On the other hand, Secret Superstar earned ¥ 746 million (Rs. 768 crore) there. However, Dangal turned out to be a runaway success. Earning a whopping ¥ 1290 (Rs. 1330 crore), it became China's highest-grossing non-Hollywood foreign movie ever.
Outbreak
Coronavirus has infected 78,000; killed over 2,400
For the unversed, the fatal coronavirus outbreak started in mid-December last year in the Chinese city of Wuhan, forcing the government to put it under lockdown. In China alone, this deadly virus has claimed the lives of 2,442 and infected 76,936, reports AlJazeera. According to data, the virus reaches a "severe or critical" phase in 20% cases and becomes fatal in 2% cases.