Director-producer Aanand L Rai turned a year older on Monday, and he celebrated his birthday doing what he loves the most -- making films.
The 'Tanu Weds Manu' filmmaker is spending his day on-set of his upcoming film 'Raksha Bandhan', a heart-tugging story of the indelible bond between a brother and his sisters, starring Akshay Kumar and Bhumi Pednekar.
Speaking about his birthday plans, the director said, "If given a choice for my birthday I like to be on shoot or else I love spending the day with family with good food and music of my choice."
Rai is widely known for directing and producing romantic comedies. His films have garnered attention due to the themes he picks for them, especially introducing the viewers to the real India.
The filmmaker-producer began his career as an assistant to his elder brother, TV director Ravi Rai, on TV shows before making his debut film with the psychological thriller 'Strangers', but it failed to make a mark at the box office.
Rai, who tasted success with 'Tanu Weds Manu' starring Kangana Ranaut and R Madhavan, has directed a number of movies including 'Raanjhanaa', 'Tanu Weds Manu Returns', and 'Zero'. He has also produced films like 'Nil Battey Sannata', 'Newton', 'Tumbbad', 'Shubh Mangal Savdhan', among others.
Currently, the director is working on his upcoming film 'Raksha Bandhan' that went on floors on June 21.
Akshay had posted a glimpse from his first day of filming on his Instagram account.
He had captioned the post, "Growing up my sister, Alka was my first friend. It was the most effortless friendship. @aanandlrai's #RakshaBandhan is a dedication to her and a celebration of that special bond. Day one of shoot today, need your love and best wishes."
'Raksha Bandhan' marks the third collaboration between Akshay and Bhumi after the duo shared screen space in the 2017 film 'Toilet: Ek Prem Katha'. The two have also worked together on Bhumi's 'Durgamati', on which Akshay served as co-producer.
'Raksha Bandhan' is written by Rai's longtime collaborator and National Award-winning screenwriter Himanshu Sharma, known for movies like 'Zero', 'Raanjhanaa' and the 'Tanu Weds Manu' franchise.
The upcoming movie also stars Sahejmeen Kaur, Deepika Khanna, Sadia Khateeb and Smrithi Srikanth.
'Raksha Bandhan' is presented and distributed by Zee Studios in association withAlka Hiranand and Rai. The film is backed by Colour Yellow Production in association with Cape of Good Films.
Apart from 'Raksha Bandhan', Akshay and Rai are also collaborating on 'Atrangi Re', which stars Dhanush and Sara Ali Khan as well.
( With inputs from ANI )
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