Akshay Kumar to commence Ram Setu shoot from Ayodhya
After wrapping up Bachchan Pandey, actor Akshay Kumar is set to start shooting for his next, Ram Setu. The actor, along with director Abhishek Sharma and creative producer Dr Chandraprakash Dwivedi, will fly to Ayodhya on March 18 to give the mahurat shot from Ram Janmabhoomi.While Akshay is away for a family vacation in the Maldives, the film’s director reveals that the shoot is spread across multiple schedules over the next few months and 80% of the film will be shot in Mumbai.
Abhishek reveals that the actor will be seen in a new avatar. “Akshay sir plays an archaeologist and his look and character are inspired by several Indian and international professional archaeologists who work in the field. In terms of both look and character, Akshay sir’s fans are in for a totally new avatar of his,” Sharma says.
Ram Setu features Jacqueline Fernandez and Nushrratt Bharuccha as the female leads. “They both play strong, independent women with well-etched out parts. We are keeping their looks under wraps for now,” Abhishek added.For the director, the journey of Ram Setu started back in 2007 when he “first read newspaper coverage about a court case related to a project to build a shipping canal in the shallow straits between India and Sri Lanka and the issues that the project was facing”.
He elaborates, “I found this to be an opportunity to explore the truth behind an Indian legend and was amazed at the magnitude of the subject. It’s like I was being presented with the possibility to bring forward a true story that would connect generations of Indians to a part of our heritage that was not getting the attention it deserved.”
The makers claim that the film is grounded in research. Abhishek noted that “the research process was to gain a comprehensive understanding on the subject and to create a film on this true story that is based on and supported by facts.”