With talk that Maharashtra may ease restrictions in June, allowing Bollywood to return to work amidst the deadly second wave of the coronavirus that has hit India, there has been chatter as well that fans could be seeing an Akshay Kumar double bill at the cinemas on the country’s Independence Day weekend.
Kumar’s ‘Sooryavanshi’, which has been directed by Rohit Shetty, has been postponed a number of times over the past one year following the lockdown that hit India in 2020. The Reliance Entertainment release was rescheduled for a cinematic outing earlier this year, but had to kill its plans once again when the second wave hit.
Elsewhere, Kumar’s ‘Bell Bottom’ is also waiting in the wings to welcome fans once cinemas re-open in India and with only a limited number of weekends available to production houses, talk has resumed in industry circles that both films could release on August 15.
With the rumour mill in overdrive, Kumar put out a statement addressing this chatter, while assuring fans that they are working on concrete plans. “I’m humbled at the excitement and eagerness of my fans regarding the release of ‘Sooryavanshi’ and ‘Bell Bottom’, and want to thank them from the bottom of my heart for all their love,” Kumar said in a statement.
“However, at this point, it is purely speculative to say that both films will release on Independence Day. The producers of both films are working out the release dates and will make announcements at the right time,” he continued.
Kumar, who himself is a COVID-19 survivor after being diagnosed and hospitalized in March, is currently throwing his star power behind helping those grappling the second wave in India, which has seen the health network strained and a dire need for oxygen, concentrators, medicines and hospital beds.
‘Sooryavanshi’ is an action thriller, the latest instalment in Shetty’s cop universe, which also includes ‘Singham’ and ‘Simmba’. Lead stars Ajay Devgn, and Ranveer Singh, who starred in the films have a cameo in ‘Sooryavanshi’, while Katrina Kaif plays the female lead.
‘Bell Bottom’, which was set to release in cinemas this year on May 28, is a spy thriller where Kumar plays a secret agent. The film also features Lara Dutta, Vaani Kapoor, Huma Qureshi and Adil Hussain in lead roles. According to reports, the film is set in the 80s and is centered around plane hijacking. Dutta reportedly plays former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in the film.
