After a down-on-luck stint and a repeated thumbs down on the big screen, Akshay Kumar and Aishwarya Rai have teamed up to gamble it out in the romantic comedy Action Replayy, which is releasing on Friday.
Produced and directed by Vipul Shah for approximately Rs.40 crore, the movie is hitting over 1,800 screens in India and abroad on an extended weekend that commences with Diwali, which is considered to be an auspicious and coveted gateway for big ticket outings in Bollywood.
The story rewinds into the 1970s era and the movie will see Akshay and Aishwarya for the first time as a couple. The supporting cast – Randhir Kapoor, Neha Dhupia, Kirron Kher, Om Puri, Aditya Roy Kapoor, Rannvijay Singh, Sudeepa Singh and Rajpal Yadav – are expected to spice up the romantic-comedy.
"Action Replayy is wholesome entertainment and has something for everyone. The tone is light but there are moments that will tug at your heart," said Akshay who starred in the 2004 release Khakee that also featured Aishwarya. But they were not pitted against each other.
Aishwarya said, "I’m so glad that I finally got to work with Vipul and Akshay… we got to work on a subject where we’ve pushed the envelope in the comedy genre."
The former beauty queen heaved a sigh of relief with her recent release Robot. Even though the movie overshadowed her act thanks to the presence of Tamil superstar Rajnikanth in the lead, it still managed to fare well.
So both actors are now hoping to hit the bull’s eye with Action Replayy.
Throwing light on her character, Aishwarya said, "Mala is boisterous and tomboyish, but only in the first half of the film."
A special screening of the movie was organised by Vipul Shah for the Indian cricket team in Ahmedabad Monday. The movie, on Friday, is releasing with Rohit Shetty’s Golmaal 3.
Asked about the box office competition, Shah told IANS: "I don’t think so. Let the audience decide which one they want to see. I only want to concentrate on my own film as we have given the best of our abilities for this one." (IANS)
