With the completion of his first Indo-Canadian production “Breakaway”, starring Rob Lowe, Russell Peters, Camilla Belle and Anupam Kher, Akshay Kumar has become the first Bollywood artist to truly go the Hollywood way.
He has spared no effort to ensure that the film has mass appeal. It features music videos with hip-hop stars Ludacris, Drake and Akshay himself, with music being scored by his favourite collaborators RDB (Rhythm Dhol Bass).
“The film is ready for a Hollywood release come September 30. Alliance Atlantis, one of the world’s largest distributors, will pick up the film — their first film by an Indian producer. We are treating it like a Hollywood release, with more than 3,500 prints. It’s a giant step for us, as an Indian film is trying to break into Hollywood. It will also be the curtain-raiser at the Toronto Film Festival on September 10 this year,” a jubilant Akshay told.
Interestingly, while the international release will be titled “Breakaway”, the Indian version will be called “Speedy Singh”, and Akshay only has a cameo in the film.
The movie has been written by Jeff Schechter and Ajay Virmani, and directed by Robert Lieberman.
In Akshay Kumar’s words, “Breakaway is a touching story about a young Indian ice hockey player who wants to get into the big league.” He adds, “I am introducing Vinay Virmani, who is a very good ice hockey player in real life as well. The film is about an Indian family wanting to break the stranglehold the Whites have abroad in sports.”
Akshay Kumar goes to Hollywood
