Confident things will work out: Akshay on 'Bell Bottom' release
Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar on Tuesday said the team of his upcoming spy thriller Bell Bottom rose to the challenge of releasing the film in theaters amid the coronavirus pandemic as there is little to life without some risk. Directed by Ranjit M Tewari, Bell Bottom will be the first Hindi movie to hit theaters during the second wave of the pandemic.
Cinema halls in some states have resumed operations
With cinema halls being allowed to resume operation in states like Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana, trade analysts are betting big on Bell Bottom to revive the cinema exhibition sector with its release on August 19.
There's a challenge, a risk: Kumar
"The pressure is there on everybody but I'm very sure that things are going to work out. There's a challenge, a risk. But if you haven't taken a risk in life, then what have you done? So we have gone with it," Kumar said. "In this journey, I've my producers who have also taken the risk and that's how we have proceeded," he added.
It was first Bollywood project to commence production amid pandemic
Also starring Vaani Kapoor, Lara Dutta, and Huma Qureshi, the movie is set in the 1980s and features Kumar as a RAW operative whose code name is Bell Bottom. It was also the first Bollywood project to commence production amid the pandemic last year. Besides Bell Bottom, Kumar also shot for his movies Raksha Bandhan and Ram Setu during the pandemic.
There were 300-400 people working with me: Akshay
Asked how he convinced himself to get back to the set, the actor said life has to go on. "In every project, there were close to 300-400 people working with me. So everything has to keep going on," he said.
We have taken this leap: Kumar
Notably, Maharashtra, which is one of the major markets for Hindi language movies, is yet to allow cinema owners to resume theatrical activity. Asked if there's a concern about cinema halls remaining shut in the state, Kumar said, "It is a gamble and someone had to take this gamble. We have taken this leap and I'm confident that this is going to work."
We are just happy to be flag bearers: Jackky Bhagnani
Producer Jackky Bhagnani said though Maharashtra contributes almost 30% to the revenue of films, he is not worried about the prospects of Bell Bottom. "With Bell Bottom, we are just happy to be the flag bearers. This is for the fraternity and we are very happy that this movie is coming to theaters," he added.
Film has been written by Aseem Arrora and Parveez Shaikh
"Yes, business is important but for this film especially, the biggest box office is that we are coming to theaters," Bhagnani said. Produced by Pooja Entertainment and Emmay Entertainment, Bell Bottom is written by Aseem Arrora and Parveez Shaikh.
