Covid-19: Bollywood star Deepika Padukone says she was 'unrecognisable' after getting infected

For Deepika Padukone, who got infected with Covid-19 in the second phase in India in 2021, it was not the illness that mattered as much as the after-effects.

“I felt that when I had the illness, it was still okay but after that, I needed to take two months off work because my mind wasn't working. The phase for me was very, very difficult,” she told a news portal.

Life after Covid changed her, as physically she was “unrecognisable completely” because of the medication and the steroids she was on.

“Covid in itself was weird, your body feels different, your mind feels different,” added Deepika. The actor, along with her family, including father Prakash, mother Ujjala and sister Anisha, all tested positive in Bangalore in May last year.

On her Instagram page, Deepika announced her “happy resolution.” She said: “Whatever we do this year, let’s try and do it with joy, mindfulness and happiness.”

Recently, she celebrated her 36th birthday. She also posted a collection of recent videos and wrote: “When you follow your bliss, you put yourself on a track that has been there all the while…and the life you ought to be living, is the life you are living. So follow your bliss…don’t be afraid and doors will open where you never knew they would.”

Her next film, Gehraiyaan, featuring Ananya Panday, Naseeruddin Shah and Rajat Kapur, which was to have been released on Amazon Prime on January 25, has been postponed to February 11.

“We can see the shore, till then we’ll dive into your love! #GehraiyaanOnPrime releases Feb 11,” said Karan Johar, the producer.

• India