On the sets of the hit film Atrangi Re, Aanand L Rai narrated Raksha Bandhan to Akshay Kumar, and the actor said yes right away, knocked over by the fundamental emotion of the relationship shared by brothers and sisters in small towns across India.
“For me, it’s all about the journey,” Aanand L Rai told Pinkvilla of his second collaboration with the Khiladi. He acknowledges that Raksha Bandhan is not an easy film to make, and he understands the film’s ‘basic’ character and the need to ‘unlearn’ a lot of things. He further added, “I had to be very honest while making a film like Raksha Bandhan. As a director, or let’s say, as a person, I put all that I learnt from life in this film.”
Rai defines Raksha Bandhan as a simple film of emotions after making something as complex as Atrangi Re. He describes both the films ‘challenging’, with the former dealing with ‘complications’ and the latter based on its ‘basics.’ He added, “It’s difficult to stick to basics when the world is thriving to excel in different spaces. It was like a detox, a cleansing process.”
The film will be released on August 11, on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan. However, due to the pandemic, the films’ release dates are being rescheduled. The director of Raanjhaana addresses the matter, stating that Raksha Bandhan is a theatrical film with no alterations in the plans. “Even Atrangi Re was meant for the theatres. But from now onwards, we will be very precise on the films that we want in theatres and the ones that we want on OTT,” the filmmaker says.
In addition, Aanand L Rai’s highly anticipated film, Good Luck Jerry, starring Jahnvi Kapoor, is also currently in post-production. The filmmaker revealed the film’s current status, “It’s on the edit table and will be ready in a couple of months. You will soon know how we are going to place it. I also have Action Hero, which is presently on floors. We are also doing Gorkha with Akshay Kumar, which takes off in the second half of 2022.”
After two films in a row, the filmmaker isn’t looking for a new plot and is looking forward to his vacation, which he plans to “enjoy and have some fun.”
