Usman Mukhtar tests Covid-19 positive

The second wave of coronavirus has hit and not wearing a mask has officially become a criminal offence.

Owing to the recent and sudden rise in Covid-19 cases once again, following Alyzeh Gabol, actor Usman Mukhtar and model Farwa Kazmi have also tested positive.

While Kazmi revealed the news on her Insta story yesterday, Mukhtar also took to the photo sharing app to reveal details of his health.

“Guys I’ve tested positive for Covid-19," he wrote. "Thankfully I have also tested positive for having awesome people like you to pray for my health,” added the Sabaat actor.

“Please keep me in your prayers and safe space. This isn’t over yet,” he added.

The actor and director recently made his Cannes debut with Bench - his directorial short film starring him alongside Rubya Chaudhry.

Bench was shortlisted for the Cannes International Independent Film Festival in September. And on October 20, the Embassy of Pakistan in Paris tweeted about the screening of Mukhtar's short film. "Pakistani short film Bench by Usman Mukhtar is being screened today at the Cannes International Film Festival taking place in France from October 18-20, 2020," read the tweet, which Mukhtar also shared on his profile.

Penned by Ali Mudar, Bench is a dialogue centric film that sees two people at crossroads coming together to figure out if they should end up apart. Their inner conflicts are explored through the conversation between them. "The film is about two people who meet on a bench. It's a dialogue based film which takes very interesting twist and turns," Mukhtar had told The Express Tribune without dwelling into much details earlier.

Chaudhry, who plays one of the lead roles in the film, has also described it as "An intimate dialogue between two conflicted hearts, looking to find their own truth in life."

The film had previously been selected for a screening at the Independent Short Awards Los Angeles, 3rd South Asian Film Festival Kolkata, Prisma Awards in Rome and South Asian Film Festival Toronto, making CIIFF just another feather in Mukhtar's cap.

So here's wishing the multitalented celeb a speedy recovery!

Have something to add to the story? Share it in the comments below.