Akshay Kumar is currently in Jaipur shooting for the Sajid Nadiadwala production, Bachchan Pandey, directed by Farhad Samji. The actor is expected to be there till the last week of February/early March, and then get back to Mumbai for a tight two-week promotional window of his upcoming cop drama, Sooryavanshi. While the release date is yet to be locked, as Rohit Shetty and Reliance are negotiating with multiplexes for better theatrical release terms, the trade is optimistic on an April 2 release as an amicable settlement between the two parties is expected by end of this week.
The actor might juggle the Sooryavanshi promotions with dubbing and some patchwork of Prithviraj in Mumbai and then finally, commence shooting for his new film from mid-April. Pinkvilla has learnt that Akshay has allotted his dates to his Atrangi Re director, Aanand L Rai for his next directorial, Raksha Bandhan. “He will be shooting for about 40 to 45 days for this slice of life film, set in the heartland of India. Akshay plays the role of a caring elder brother to three sisters in the film, which rides on emotion that every Indian can relate to, The tentative shooting date from April 15,” revealed a source close to the development. 
While there were speculations in the trade as well as the fans that Raksha Bandhan has been put on hold, the film is very much on schedule. “In-fact, at this point of time, it is sticking to the commitment of Diwali release. However, the date might change depending on the release plan of other Akshay Kumar films like Sooryavanshi, Bell Bottom, Prithviraj and Atrangi Re as also other Bollywood releases,” the source added. The details about shoot locations are still kept under wraps.
Apart from Raksha Bandhan, the other Akshay Kumar films to be shot in the coming months include the Jagan Shakti directed Mission Lion. We have heard that, he also has the sequel of Oh My God under his kitty to commence sometime in Summer itself, however, Akshay’s OMG co-star, Paresh Rawal has denied the news on Twitter. Stay tuned on Pinkvilla for more updates on Akshay Kumar.
