Indian Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan speaks during a launch event in Mumbai.

International Indian movie star Amitabh Bachchan has apologized for not being able to attend the Luxor African film festival (LAFF) in Egypt after much hype over his attendance.

In a video statement released on Saturday, Bhachchan apologized to both fans and organizers for his absence over the sudden illness of a close relative in his family.

“My sincere apologies to this and I do hope that you will give it your very compassionate understanding,” Bachchan said.

The Bollywood legend was scheduled to attend the festival on March 21 in Cairo where he was going to be honored at the closing ceremony of the sixth edition of the Luxor festival of African Cinema.

“I’ve always felt at home in Egypt, for me it has always been a second home so the prospect of me coming to Luxor was exciting for me and I was looking forward to it. But unfortunately, it is not happening this time,” Bachchan said.

Egypt has been playing host to a number of celebrities during the past few weeks as it aims to jump-start a falling tourism economy. Last month, Egypt hosted Argentinean football star Lionel Messi to much fan-fare as he visited the pyramids and spoke on Egyptian television to promote treatment for Hepatitis C in the north African country.

Last week, pictures on local media showed some excited fans grasping selfies with American actor Will Smith as he arrived at Cairo’s International Airport during a “secret visit”.