The much-anticipated trailer of Akshay Kumar’s Raksha Bandhan was launched in New Delhi on June 21 in a glitzy affair. The Free Press Journal was a part of the event, which saw Akshay reminiscing his childhood days with actress Bhumi Pednekar, director Aanand L Rai, and the rest of the team by his side.
The almost 3-minute-long trailer shows the struggles of Akshay trying his best to get his four sisters married before marrying his childhood sweetheart, Bhumi. Set in the bylanes of Delhi’s Chandni Chowk, the film is a tale of a brother’s undying love for his sisters even in the face of a financial crunch, a shattering love life and other such adversities.
Taking a trip down memory lane, Akshay shares, “I grew up in Chandni Chowk. I remember I had watched Amar Akbar Anthony right inside this theatre. I had gotten the tickets illegally in black, and the theatre was jam-packed. Today, this theatre is again crowded, but to see me, and this feeling is surreal.”
He adds, “I still have my house in Chandni Chowk. My relatives stay here, and I do visit them from time to time. I even relish the street food here. It is something that I don’t get much outside Delhi. Making Raksha Bandhan was more like coming back home.”
Akshay reveals that the entire process of shooting the film was thoroughly enjoyable for him. “We didn’t even realise when we completed the film. There was such a feel-good and homely vibe on the set. We all used to gather, have fun, hog a lot of food, and in between all this, we shot the film. Now we’re ready to present it. I’ve worked in many films, but Raksha Bandhan is one of my most honest films till date. The end will leave you stunned,” he avers.
Bhumi is elated to be a part of the film and is all praise for Akshay and Aanand. “Both of them are my favourites, and the film has such warmth in it that I just couldn’t refuse it. The fact that the main focus of Raksha Bandhan is the pure bond between siblings and not romance or drama is something we’ve not seen in Bollywood in the past few years. This film is quite special to me,” she gushes.
The film will release on August 11 and is set to clash with Aamir Khan’s Laal Singh Chaddha. However, Akshay believes that it is not a competition and that two films can co-exist and thrive in theatres at the same time. “It is not a clash. It is about two good movies coming together, and also it’s a festive weekend. Because of Covid-19, a lot of movies could not get a theatrical release, and now that things are going back to normal, some movies are bound to be out around the same time. I hope both the movies have a good run at the box office,” he explains.
Raksha Bandhan also stars Sahejmeen Kaur, Deepika Khanna, Sadia Khateeb and Smrithi Srikanth. It has been written by National Award-winning screenwriter Himanshu Sharma and Kanika Dhillon and will be presented and distributed by Zee Studios in association with Alka Hiranandani and Aanand.
