Akshay Kumar, who was last seen in Laxmii, announced that his upcoming Hindi film Bell Bottom will release in theatres worldwide on July 27. The film’s release was earlier scheduled for May 28 but was postponed after cinema halls across the country shut down due to the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“I know you have patiently waited for Bell Bottom! Couldn’t be happier to finally announce the release of our film,” Kumar tweeted along with a short teaser of the film.
Shooting for Bell Bottom, an espionage thriller, began in August, 2020 in the UK and was completed in October. It became the world’s first film to be shot completely during the pandemic, according to its makers. Kumar reportedly had to work double shifts, breaking his strict rule of eight hours of work a day, to complete the film.
The film also stars Vaani Kapoor, Huma Qureshi, and Lara Dutta in pivotal roles. Directed by Ranjit M Tewari, the film is co-produced by Vashu Bhagnani, Jackky Bhagnani, Deepshikha Deshmukh, Monisha Advani, Madhu Bhojwani and Nikkhil Advani and written by Aseem Arrora and Parveez Shaikh.
On Monday, a report stated that Kumar had reduced his fees for Bell Bottom by Rs 30 crore after the producer, Bhagnani, requested him to do so. However, the actor took to Twitter and refuted the news, calling it “fake”. Bhagnani also tweeted, “No Truth to this news at all.”
While the first poster of Bell Bottom stated that the film will release in theatres in April, the release date was later shifted to May due to rising Covid-19 cases and the closure of theatres across the country.
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Kumar has another film scheduled for release, Sooryavanshi, which has been postponed several times due to the ongoing pandemic. The film was initially scheduled to release on March 24, 2020. He has also started work on a few other projects including Ram Setu, Bachchan Pandey, and Prithviraj.
Bell Bottom is one of the first films to announce its release in theatres post the lockdown induced by the second wave of the pandemic in India. Several states continue to be under full or partial lockdown at the moment. Cinema halls and multiplexes in all states continue to remain closed. As of 8 am on June 15, India has a recorded 9,13,378 active Covid-19 cases and has reported 3,77,031 deaths.