MUMBAI: Akshay Kumar's next will be "Mission Mangal", which is being touted as India's first space film. This film will be a joint production between Fox Star Studios and Akshay's home production Cape Of Good Films.
The actor is set to reunite with his "Padman" director who will co-produce the film. "Mission Mangal" will be directed by Jagan Shakti.
Akshay said he is delighted to collaborate with Fox Star Studios. He said he is looking forward to deliver meaningful and entertaining cinematic experience to the audience.
"With our combined energies we hope to create content that not only excites but also empowers," the actor said in a statement.
The shoot for "Mission Mangal" commences in mid November. The film will be based on the Indian Mars Mission which was launched on 5th November 2013 by ISRO. The orbiter was launched as a sample to check how to design, plan and manage an interplanetary mission.
Akshay Kumar will be acting with Vidya Balan after the two appeared together in the 2007 film 'Heyy Babyy'. Other co-stars include Sharman Joshi, Nithya Menen, Nimrat Kaur, Sonakshi Sinha, and Taapsee Pannu.
Reports say that Akshay Kumar and Vidya Balan will not be paired with each other, but will act as astrophysicists.
The story will focus on the women scientists in the Mangalyaan team. On hearing this, fans have begun comparing the movie with the 2016 Hollywood film 'Hidden Figures', which was about the black women scientists who played an important role in NASA's 1958 space program called "Project Mercury."
(with inputs from PTI)