Akshay Kumar's 'Raksha Bandhan' Promises To Revive Bollywood Family Drama Genre

Mumbai, August 4 - There was a time in Bollywood when the family drama genre used to be the center attraction of the films. But with the introduction of new age cinema, the family drama genre has somehow lost its magic and there have hardly been such films nowadays expected a few in the last decade or so.

Directed by Anand L Rai, "Raksha Bandhan" deals with the burning issue of dowry among Indian families. Set in the Chandni Chowk area of Old Delhi, the film follows Akshay Kumar, who runs a street food shop, the third generation of his family to do so. He plays a role of a brother whose primary concern is getting his four sisters married, and at the same time, dealing with the problem of dowry.

During a recent interview with Variety, the "Padman" actor said, "Dowry is a big problem in India, and many other places also. The best part about the film is, that it not only talks about the problem, but it also talks about the solution". He added, "This is not a preachy film. It's a very commercial cinema, which has five songs. It has lots of humor. And it teaches you about family values".

Anand L Rai said, "In Raksha Bandhan, there is a lot of hunger — hunger to come out with Indian values, hunger to depict the culture, hunger to talk about the bonding, the relationships, which are there with us, we've not gone insensitive towards them, but somehow they've taken a back seat, we don't talk about it. Let me bring all those emotions to the forefront, which we have unknowingly sidelined".

The filmmaker believes that the modern generations leaving in metro cities don't know what was a joint family, so it is important to make such films to let the young generation know about the old sentiment of living together as a family.

Produced by Zee Studios, Colour Yellow Productions, and Cape of Good Films, "Raksha Bandhan" reunites Bhumi Pednekar with Akshay Kumar after the critically acclaimed and box office hit "Toilet: Ek Prem Katha". The movie, which is scheduled to release on August 11, also stars Sadia Khateeb, Sahejmeen Kaur, Deepika Khanna, and Smrithi Srikanth in prominent roles.

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