Akshay Kumar unveils Sonam Kapoor and Radhika Apte's look from Padman

So, it's clear now. Padman, directed by R Balki and starring Akshay Kumar, Radhika Apte and Sonam Kapoor, will be released on 26 January 2018.

Akshay's PR team had earlier sent a note saying that the R Balki directed film will be released on Republic Day next year. This raised questions over the release of Akshay's big-budget bilingual film 2.0, as he had recently stated that either Padman or 2.0 will be released on 26 January.

Finally, Padman will keep Republic Day date, while 2.0's release has been postponed. 

Apart from confirming Padman's release date, Akshay also shared a new poster, giving out the looks of Sonam Kapoor and Radhika Apte in the film. Set in Uttar Pradesh, Kapoor and Apte don a very traditional, and simple look. 

In the picture with Apte, who plays Gayatri in the film, Akshay's Lakshmikant Chauhan is seen with his right arm around her shoulder, while she holds a sanitary napkin. Gayatri’s simplicity and innocence warm your heart.

The actor tweeted the picture, describing Apte's character as the 'REASON he became Padman'. Perhaps, hinting that Apte is the Padman's wife. 

In the picture with Kapoor, both can be seen sitting in the far end of a bullock cart with their bags. In the tweet he called Kapoor the 'STRENGTH behind Padman'.

With her costume, Kapoor's character Rhea seems like an educated middles class girl. Rhea looks like the character who would help and encourage Akshay's Lakshmikant in his efforts to make affordable, hygienic sanitary napkins for rural women.

Kapoor, too, tweeted the picture, expressing her gratitude towards Akshay and the film's director R Balki.

She wrote: "Such a pleasure working with the indomitable Akshay Kumar. He was the perfect person to play the role of #Padman and has brought a sense of humour and love to the film. Of course none of these would have been possible without the humble visionary."

Padman, co-produced by Twinkle Khanna, is based on the life of Arunachalam Muruganantham, popularly known as India’s menstrual man. He is credited to have invented a low-cost sanitary napikin-making machine and has innovated grass-root mechanisms for generating awareness about the traditional, unhygienic practices women resort to during menstruation.