Akshay Kumar seeks blessings at Mahakaleshwar Temple with mother-in-law Dimple Kapadia: ‘Prayed for entire country’

Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar visited the Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain on Wednesday morning. He offered prayers with his mother-in-law, Diple Kapadia, ahead of the release of his upcoming film Bhooth Bangla.

Akshay Kumar visits Ujjain's Mahakaleshwar Temple

Visuals from their visit surfaced online. Keeping it simple, Akshay Kumar opted for a white kurta. Veteran actress Dimple Kapadia wore a pink saree.

After his darshan, Akshay Kumar opened up about his visit and shared that he had prayed for the entire country and his loved ones.

"It was really good... I prayed for the entire country and my family. I prayed that our country may always excel and progress," he told news agency ANI as shared in a video on X, formerly Twitter.

Watch:

Bhooth Bangla

Akshay Kumar will be next seen in Bhooth Bangla, which is helmed by Priyadarshan. The film marks the reunion between Akshay Kumar and the director after a gap of 14 years. Previously, they collaborated on hits like Hera Pheri, Garam Masala, Bhagam Bhag, Bhool Bhulaiyaa, De Dana Dan and Khatta Meetha.

Bhooth Bangla, backed by Ektaa Kapoor, was scheduled to release in theatres on 10 April. Variety India reported that the horror-comedy film has been formally postponed after cancelling its trailer launch amid the success of Dhurandhar 2.

It added that Bhooth Bangla will now release on 17 April.

While makers are yet to officially announce any changes in the release, a source told Variety, “The producers of ‘Bhooth Bangla’ realised the challenges in taking on the Ranveer Singh-starrer. And it’s a good business decision. It’s a win for the producers as well as the industry. Even ‘Toxic’ had avoided a clash with the Aditya Dhar directorial. There should be no ego involved in such decisions. Ektaa's mom, Shobha Kapoor fully supports this decision."

If true, the new release date locked by Bhooth Bangla, April 17, was previously booked for Salman Khan’s big release, Maatrubhumi, formerly Battle of Galwan. As the Khan-starrer pushed its release, Akshay Kumar's film seemingly reserved the date to enjoy a clash-free run at the box office.

A trade source also added, “The postponement of ‘Bhooth Bangla’ was driven purely by the need for breathing space at the box office. The trailer launch of the film, initially scheduled for March 30, now stands cancelled for the time being, with new plans of unveiling it in the first week of April.”

Bhooth Bangla also stars Wamiqa Gabbi, Tabu, Rajpal Yadav, Mithila Palkar, Asrani and Paresh Rawal in pivotal roles.

More upcoming films of Akshay Kumar

Besides Bhooth Bangla, Akshay Kumar has several other films in the pipeline, including Hera Pheri 3, which is also helmed by Priyadarshan. It will bring back the popular trio-- Akshay Kumar, Paresh Rawal and Suniel Shetty.

Kumar will also headline another sequel, Welcome to the Jungle, alongside Suniel Shetty, Jackie Shroff, Raveena Tandon, Disha Patani, Jacqueline Fernandez, Arshad Warsi, Paresh Rawal, Rajpal Yadav, Lara Dutta, Shreyas Talpade, Kiku Sharda, Tusshar Kapoor, and others.

Recently, Akshay Kumar was roped in for Rohit Shetty's upcoming Golmaal 5.