From different stalls of chaats, and chole bhature to traditional dresses and rakhi, the Delite Cinema in the Capital was all decorated to give the feeling as if you are walking through the lanes of Chandni Chowk.
The fans had gathered and waited with bated breath to welcome the cast of Aanand L. Rai movie ‘Raksha Bandhan’, including Akshay Kumar, Bhumi Pednekar, Sahejmeen Kaur, Deepika Khanna, Smrithi Srikanth, and Sadia Khateeb besides the director himself.
Akshay and the entire team of ‘Raksha Bandhan’ arrived to launch the trailer of their upcoming movie. Usually, the trailer launch does not happen in Delhi but as the movie is all set in Chandni Chowk, the makers preferred to do it in the Capital.
The story of the movie is centered around a caring brother, played by Akshay, who is not ready to settle down till his four sisters get married.
At the venue, Akshay was seen getting clicked with his on-screen sisters: Sahejmeen Kaur, Deepika Khanna, Smrithi Srikanth, and Sadia Khateeb. In the movie, there is a scene where he takes his four sisters for a scooter ride. That scooter was also kept there and he posed with them while sitting on it.
It was indeed a nostalgic moment for Akshay as he had done the entire shooting of the film in his birthplace. While waving out to his fans and exchanging fun banters with them, he recalled his childhood days and different shops where he used to enjoy his favorite food and how he used to watch movies in Delite even by purchasing movie tickets in black.
Akshay said: “I watched a number of movies at Delite even if it meant buying the tickets in black. In fact, there were other theatres as well like Moti Cinema many of which are closed.”
He added: “It never felt like shooting for a movie. It was more of a homecoming for me and hence the film is very close to my heart. I just remember what we ate during the shooting of the film. It was like we were having a picnic with Aanand L Rai.”
Leaving one and all stunned with her gorgeousness, Bhumi draped in a red sari, also made a dramatic entry on the stage while delivering dialogue from the movie: ‘Apni behenon ke aage mujhe fir se bhool gaya na tu'(you again forgot me in front of your sisters).
As the movie is all about sibling relationships, Akshay reminscised his bond with his sister Alka Bhatia and how they rarely had any fights with each other.
Bhumi added that she and her sister Samiksha Pednekar used to fight over every small thing. “We used to fight and argue over everything but were inseparable. We just can’t do without each other. Like the bond of the four sisters in the movie, I share a similar relationship with my sister. We share everything.”
Akshay also shared that his mama’s(Uncle) house is in Chandni Chowk where he visits sometimes and relishes the delicacies of old Delhi.
Terming it “amazing”, Sahejmeen, Deepika, Smrithi, and Sadia described their shooting experience with Akshay and Bhumi as fun-filled.
Deepika, who has featured in ‘Gandii Baat’, ‘Yeh Crazy Dil’, ‘Patiala Babes’ and ‘Who’s Your Daddy’ reminisced: “I had a wonderful time on the set and amazing food.”
The entire cast cracked jokes with the fans and media during the trailer launch.’Raksha Bandhan’ is directed by Aanand L. Rai and produced by Colour Yellow Productions, Zee Studios, and Alka Hiranandani in association with Cape Of Good Films.
It is scheduled to hit the theatres on August 11.
