The Bollywood superstar, Akshay Kumar addressed a press conference in Kolkata as part of the film unit’s promotion tour. The team is on a multi-city promotion tour across the country.

The unit of Aanand L Rai’s relationship drama ‘Raksha Bandhan’ is on a promotion tour, visiting different cities across the country ahead of the release of the movie on the auspicious occasion of Raksha Bandhan festival.

As per the multi-city tour promotions of the highly-anticipated movie and touring Dubai, Pune, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Indore, the team of ‘Raksha Bandhan’, including Akshay Kumar, Director & Producer Aanand L Rai, and the cast including Sadia Khateeb, Smrithi Srikanth, Sahejmeen Kaur and Deepika Khanna visited Kolkata on Monday.

Sadia Khateeb, Smrithi Srikanth, Sahejmeen Kaur and Deepika Khanna held a press conference here in Cinepolis, Acropolis Mall which was joined by Akshay Kumar, along with the director Anand L Rai, later. Akshay Kumar made his entry at the press conference amid the cheering of the crowd calling out his name.

Sadia Khateeb said it is “thrilling” to be on the sets and share the screen with Bollywood legend Akshay Kumar. Smrithi Srikanth said, “He is both fun and disciplined on the sets. He is an amazing person.” Echoing similar views, Deepika Khanna said, “with him we’ve understood that discipline aur maza dono saath mein kar sakte hain.” According to Sahejmeen Kaur, Akshay is “extremely grounded”.

When asked whether Akshay gave his on-screen sisters any fitness tips during the shooting days, Deepika said, “None!”

“Khao, piyo, maze mein raho. He has just said that of course you should stay fit but do whatever keeps you happy and stay healthy,” she elaborated.

Answering a question as to whether he really has been like a big brother on the sets, Smrithi said, “He himself as a human being is a very protective and caring person. Irrespective of the fact that he is a brother or a co-actor, be it us or anybody else; he would behave the same way. He is genuinely humble and a wholesome person.”

Deepika said, “I’ve found a brother and a great friend in Akshay. I’m really blessed and grateful and very happy to share each and every minute with him.”

Although Akshay Kumar is a big name, he is a very humble person who did the ice-breaking for the new faces, his reel sisters. “Working with these lovely ladies, these lovely sisters of mine, my reel sisters, has been an honour. They have never done any film, they have never faced the camera as much as they’ve faced it now, but they have simplicity and rawness. I’ve learned from them. The simplicity is there. I can find the simplicity in their eyes as they are not corrupted. That is what I’ve learnt from them. So, it was a great honour to work with them,” he said.

On getting a ‘U’ certificate for the film, Akshay Kumar said, “It a film made for the families. If you go to watch the film with your family, you’ll feel more connected with them. The film is acting like glue.”

The film also talks about dowry, which is still a burning problem in our country. When asked about the solution, Akshay said, “The film talks about the problem. It also talks about the solution.”

It is a film showcasing numerous emotions. Did they have any emotional moments during the shooting? Akshay answered, “The one thing common in us is that we all are foodies. So, our general conversations were mostly about food. What to eat? Should we have Punjabi or Sindhi or Mughlai cuisine? These were our concerns.”

Did he relate any incident to his own sister, Alka? Akshay said, “My sister was born when I was four. Since then, we have innumerable memories together. We have never been apart. Even today, we stay in the same building. We share a strong bond. I still remember, when she was born, my parents said, beta ghar mein Devi aayi hain. Till date, I am and I will be with that Devi.”

During the Kolkata visit, the team also visited Delhi Public School. They reached the school and interacted with the students regarding the film. The star cast received a grand welcome from their fans in the school. They also took a selfie with the fans at the school.

Directed by Aanand L Rai, produced by Aanand L Rai and Himanshu Sharma in association with Zee Studios, Alka Hiranandani and Cape of Good Films, written by Himanshu Sharma & Kanika Dhillon, the music of ‘Raksha Bandhan’ has been composed by Himesh Reshammiya and lyrics are by Irshad Kamil. The movie is featuring Bhumi Pednekar, Akshay Kumar, Neeraj Sood, Seema Pahwa, Sadia Khateeb, Abhilash Thapliyal, Deepika Khanna, Smrithi Srikanth and Sahejmeen Kaur is all set to release on 11th August 2022.