Akshay Kumar to star in Yash Raj Films' Prithviraj, will clash with Kangana Ranaut’s Dhaakad

On Akshay Kumar’s 52rd birthday today, Yash Raj Films (YRF) has announced their next with him titled Prithviraj (2020). The film is based on the life of the king Prithviraj Chauhan, the valiant ruler of Ajmer in the 12th century AD. He is known for his heroics against Muhammad of Ghor, the head of the Ghurid Empire. 

YRF has released a title teaser of Prithviraj. It is an animated video featuring the army of Prithviraj with the king arriving in the end. One can hear praises to welcome the celebrated king in the teaser. 

Interestingly, Prithviraj will be released on Diwali 2020. Kangana Ranaut’s action thriller Dhaakad (2020) is also slated to release on the festival next year. It will be an Akshay-Ranaut clash for the first time. 

With the announcement of Prithviraj and its release date, Akshay has booked all three major festivals of next year. Also in 2020, he has Sooryavanshi and Bachchan Pandey releasing on Eid and Christmas respectively. On Christmas, his film will be clashing with Aamir Khan's Laal Singh Chadha (2020). 

Speaking about the film, Akshay said in an official statement, "It is truly an honour that I will be playing the role of one of the most fearless and courageous kings of India, Prithviraj Chauhan. As a nation, we should always celebrate our heroes and immortalize what they did to propagate the values that Indians lived by. Prithviraj is our attempt to bring to light his valour and daredevilry."

Highlighting the importance of the king, he added, "Prithviraj was the only person standing in front of a merciless nemesis and the bravery he showed, made him a true Indian hero, an inspiration for generations and a legend. So this announcement coming on my birthday has indeed made it more special for me." 

Karan Johar’s next film as a director, Takht, was also earlier supposed to release on Diwali 2020. However, a video shared by the filmmaker shot inside his office showed the poster of the film on which the release date was mentioned as December 2020. This is how the news about it postponement got out earlier this year. 

Prithviraj will be directed by Dr Chandra Prakash Dwivedi. He is known for making the classic television series, Chanakya, where he also played the titular role. His last movie was Mohalla Assi (2018) starring Sunny Deol. Dwivedi also directed the Partition drama Pinjar (2003), which won the National award for Best Feature Film On National Integration. 

Watch the teaser below.