Amazon Prime Video will co-produce its first Hindi film, the Akshay Kumar starrer Ram Setu, the streaming platform announced on Wednesday. Billed as an action-adventure, Ram Setu revolves around the mythical bridge that the god Rama is supposed to have built between ancient India and Sri Lanka in order to rescue his wife Sita from the demon god Ravana.
At present, the chain of shoals known as Adam’s Bridge lies between the subcontinental neighbours.
Ram Setu is being directed by Abhishek Sharma. Chanakya director Chandraprakash Dwivedi serves as creative producer. Akshay Kumar plays the role of an archaeologist. The movie’s first look is scheduled to launched in Ayodhya on March 18.
The project represents a confluence of Indian and global capital. Akshay Kumar, who is a Canadian citizen, is one of the producers through his company Cape of Good Films. Vikram Malhotra’s Abundantia Entertainment and Lyca Productions, set up by the British Sri Lankan Tamil businessman Subaskaran Allirajah, are the other producers. Sri Lankan national Jacqueline Fernandez is a part of the cast, alongside Nushrratt Bharuccha.
By adding itself to this list, Amazon Prime Video “takes another step of taking India’s rich cultural heritage to the world across 240 countries and territories”, the platform said in its press statement. The movie will be released first in theatres before coming on Amazon Prime Video.
“The story of Ram Setu is one that has always intrigued and inspired me: it represents strength, bravery and love, and uniquely Indian values that have formed the moral and social fabric of our great country,” Akshay Kumar said in the press release. “Ram Setu is a bridge between generations past, present and future.”