Launching the trailer of the much-awaited 'Bell Bottom',the first Bollywood film to be shot in a bio-bubble in Glasgow after the firstlockdown was lifted last year, Akshay Kumar said here on Tuesday that OTTchannels cannot match the experience that cinema theatres have to offer.
"The fun of watching a film in a cinema theatre isdifferent. You cannot match it," the actor said as he cut the ceremonialcake in the company of co-stars Lara Datta and Vaani Kapoor and producer JackkyBhagnani.
Directed by Ranjit Tewari, 'Bell Bottom' is a spythriller set in the 1980s. The film, slated for a theatrical release on August19, is named after the code name of the RAW agent played by Kumar. Dutta,incidentally, plays Indira Gandhi.
Kumar sounded cautiously optimistic about the box-officereception of the film in view of theatres in Maharashtra not being allowed toreopen and those in other parts of the country operating at 50 per centoccupancy in adherence to Covid-19 protocols.
Referring to the lukewarm public response to thereopening of cinema theatres, Kumar said: "I know it is 50 per cent. Wehad to take this gamble. We had to take this leap of faith. Let us see what isgoing to happen."
And then he struck a positive note. "We believepeople will come. Even if it is 50 per cent, things will work," Kumar saidin an interaction with the media at PVR Priya in the Capital. Last year,Kumar's film 'Laxmii' released digitally on Disney Hotstar. 'Bell Bottom'therefore marks his return, literally, to the silver screen.
Talking about the shoot, which extended up to 45 days,Kumar said: "Jackky Bhagnani and his father Vashu took a big risk bytaking almost 200 people to Glasgow and shooting with all protocols andpermissions in place. They did something that was unbelievable. They were thefirst people in the world to shoot a movie after the first wave of thepandemic."
The actor also shot for two other film during thepandemic -- 'Raksha Bandhan' and 'Ram Setu'.
How did he convince himself to go out and shoot?"You have to keep on working, taking care of yourself, because Covid isgoing to be here for the long term. But life has to go on," Kumar said.
He did not talk much about his future projects, but hedid say his immediate plan was to watch the Indian men's hockey team take onGermany for the bronze medal.