Akshay on ‘deconstructing’ himself as an actor, BO clash of ‘Raksha Bandhan’, ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’

New Delhi: The trailer of Aanand L. Rai’s directorial ‘Raksha Bandhan’ was launched in the capital at Delite Cinema.

The movie headlined by Akshay Kumar also features Bhumi Pednekar, Sadia Khateeb, Sahejmeen Kaur, Deepika Khanna and Smrithi Srikanth. Entire cast of the movie were present for the launch of the trailer. Himanshu Sharma and Kanika Dhillon, who has written the story were also there along with the cast to brief about the movie.

The trailer portrayed Akshay as a loving and caring brother, who is trying his best for his sisters to get married. He himself denies his childhood love, played by Bhumi to settle down. He mortgaged his shop to fulfil his brotherly duties and was even ready to sell both his kidneys for his sister’s marriage.

The trailer also shows the problem of dowry prevalent in the society. The director of the movie Aanand L. Rai said during the trailer launch: “This movie is really important to me and I enjoyed the process of making this film. The entire atmosphere was such that I never realised when we completed the movie. Akshay considered me as his elder brother and became part of my project, this really makes me feel emotional.”

When asked why he chose Chandni Chowk, the director replied: “When this movie was written by Himanshu and Kanika, Akshay was in mind so nothing could be thought except Chandni Chowk.”

Kanika added: “This is the story about the relationship of siblings and it connects to our grassroots.”

Akshay further shared: “My sister is the biggest support to me and she is everything to me and I am everything to her. So in this movie I have not acted but lived with every moment and connected emotionally. In this movie I had to bring honesty in my character and that is what I did.”

He also recalled a memory with Delite cinema and said: “I still remember watching ‘Amar Akbar Anthony’ here and to watch Amitabh Bachchan, I purchased a ticket in black. I still remember having chaat and aam ki kulfi and different kinds of sweets here and many of the characters I played in my career are inspired by people whom I saw in Chandni Chowk. In the movie in fact we have used the language used here only.”

Akshay shared how the four actresses who played the roles of his sisters used to bring home cooked food for him. “They may not be my real sisters but they all are like my sisters.”

He also praised the director for making such a beautiful and in depth film bringing out the true essence of brother and sister relationship and shared: “This is the most honest film.”

Later Akshay commented on the clash of the dates as Aamir Khan’s ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’ is releasing on the same date and how it will impact the box office success of the movie.

“It’s not a clash. It is about two good movies coming together. And it’s a big day. People will be having holidays. It’s the time of Raksha Bandhan. And due to Covid-19, many films did not release and some are still waiting to get a release date. So, it’s natural that in one week two films are coming together. I hope both films have a good run.”

When asked why Akshay and Bhumi said ‘Yes’ to the movie, Bhumi answered: “It’s the script and the story is about siblings. Moreover I am a huge fan of Aanand Sir’s work and was waiting for an opportunity to work with him. And then my other favourite is Akshay sir. I am very lucky to have been a part of it.”

Furthermore, Akshay opened up about the criteria for selecting movies in the past few years and playing different kinds of roles from action, comedy to historical.

“I love to deconstruct myself. Whenever I take a film I want to deconstruct. So my criteria is to challenge myself in every project and do something different. When I joined the industry I was just doing action and it took time to break my image. Now I want to break my image and do something different every time.”

He also asserted that this movie not only deals with the problem of dowry but also offers a solution to it.

“‘Like aToilet: Ek Prem Katha’, ‘Padman’ tried to resolve or offer a solution to the problems. Similarly, in this film we are not only talking about dowry but also offering a solution.”

‘Raksha Bandhan’ is directed by Aanand L. Rai and produced by Colour Yellow Productions, Zee Studios, Alka Hiranandani in association with Cape Of Good Films. It is scheduled to release in theatres on August 11.

–IANS