Amitabh Bachchan's three-week stay in the hospital has left him lighter. "He has lost some weight. But by God's grace, he's recovering," says Abhishek, his son.

The Bachchans' three-week ordeal ended Saturday morning when he finally left Lilavati hospital in Mumbai to return to his mother's residence Prateeksha.

Earlier during the day Abhishek had driven into the hospital wearing a T-shirt that read 'Superman'. The minute Bachchan saw his son he caught on, "That T-shirt is for me."

A crowd of at least 200 people had already got wind of the Bachchans' plans. They waited anxiously outside his house when Abhishek drove his dad home.

The entire family is now gathered at Prateeksha where the steadily recuperating superstar is now re-gaining his strength.

It's unlikely that he will resume shooting for a while. Abhishek says the decision is entirely his father's. As soon as he feels up to it, he will be back at work, though it seems unlikely he would do so in the next two weeks.

Initially the plan was to stay at the Lilavati hospital a little longer. Bachchan had been advised by his close friends to stay in hospital than to move home where medical attention would be relatively lower.

"There were no plans to leave immediately," reveals a member of the family. "In fact, he wanted to continue in hospital. But he suddenly changed his mind Saturday and said he wanted to be home with the family."

On Sunday morning a huge crowd of onlookers gathered outside Prateeksha. Abhishek played the perfect host to them. Water was served to the strangers outside his home. The ailing mega-star made an appearance sometime in the morning.

All is well at the Bachchan front once again.