MUMBAI: On Sunday evening, Bollywood stars joined the rest of India and responded to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call to light candles, lamps, torches and cellphone torches for nine minutes at 9pm, as a gesture of thanks to the Corona Warriors and to fight the darkness of the COVID 19 pandemic.

Sharing a photo where he can be seen standing with a candle in his hand, superstar Akshay Kumar wrote on Instagram: "Together we stand and together we will come out of this dark phase. Till then stay strong, stay safe. #9baje9minute."

Alia Bhatt posted picture holding a candle on Instagram and wrote: "When I was younger I would kiss my dad on his forehead before going off to school and after every kiss he would say " Aaaaaah .. light aa gayi. I might have not fully understood what it meant back then.. but because of his response I understood that light has wayyyyyy more depth than just illuminating our lives. Light means so much. It's hope, beauty, strength.. today it was unity.. But no matter where we are and what we are going through we must always try and keep the light within us alive."

Katrina Kaif shared a beautiful photo where she is standing on her terrace with four or five candles lit in front of her. The actress captioned: "May it be a light to you in dark places when all other lights go out (LOTR)."

Kangana Ranaut and Bhumi Pednekar were also among the stars who posted videos.

Sharing a photo where she can be seen standing with her eyes closed with a candle in her hand, Kriti Sanon wrote: "Because it's always a good time to pray. For love, health and happiness. #weareinthistogether #LetThereBeLight."

Veteran actress Hema Malini shared a beautiful video message where she can be seen lighting diyas and saying in Hindi: "We have to be united to destroy this coronavirus. The entire nation is lighting diyas tonight following the instructions of Modi ji. I am happy to take part in this ritual."

Vicky Kaushal and Janhvi Kapoor also shared photographs of their participation, while Madhuri Dixit, Raveena Tandon, Karan Johar, Diana Penty, Anil Kapoor, Arjun Rampal, and Shilpa Shetty were among many B-Town celebs who shared videos.