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Raksha Bandhan (film)

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Raksha Bandhan
Theatrical release poster
Directed byAanand L. Rai
Written by
Produced by
Starring
Narrated bySadia Khateeb
CinematographyK. U. Mohanan
Edited byHemal Kothari
Music byScore:
Ishaan Chhabra
Songs:
Himesh Reshammiya
Production
companies
Distributed byZee Studios
Release date
  • 11 August 2022 (2022-08-11)
Running time
108 minutes[1]
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi
Budget₹70 crore[2]
Box officeest. ₹61.61 crore[3]

Raksha Bandhan (lit. 'Raksha Bandhan'; transl. The bond of protection) is a 2022 Indian Hindi-language family comedy-drama film directed by Aanand L. Rai and written by Himanshu Sharma and Kanika Dhillon.[4] It stars Akshay Kumar, Bhumi Pednekar, Sadia Khateeb, Sahejmeen Kaur, Smrithi Srikanth and Deepika Khanna.[1][5]

The film was theatrically released on 11 August 2022, coinciding with Raksha Bandhan and Independence Day.[6][7] It received mixed to negative reviews from critics and was a Box-office bomb

Plot

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In Old Delhi, Lala Kedarnath, the eldest and only brother of four sisters named Gayatri, Durga, Laxmi, and Saraswati, runs a chaat shop named Premlata Chat Bhandar that was started by his grandfather. Lala promises his frail mother on her deathbed that he will only get married after he fulfills the responsibility of marrying his sisters into suitable homes first. Lala's relentless efforts to get his sisters married while upholding his family values go in vain, as he faces hurdles in finding suitable grooms due to Laxmi's dark skin, Durga's weight, and Saraswati's masculine behaviour. At the same time, Lala's commitment to his sisters stands as a huge roadblock for his and, his childhood love, Sapna's relationship to take off.

Understanding the importance of Lala's vow, Sapna decides to wait until his goal is achieved. But her father, Harishankar, always nags her to get married. Sometime later, Lala manages to gather ₹18 lakh (US$22,000) for Gayatri's dowry. Gayatri gets married. After the marriage, it is revealed that Lala is not their real brother and that their mother adopted him long ago when his real mother died near the temple. Lala arranges money for Durga and Laxmi's wedding by selling his one kidney, but things did not go as planned. Gayatri's husband and in-laws were asking for more dowry, but she did not say anything to Lala as she did not want him to get more stressed. Gayatri commits suicide by drinking poison. Lala realizes the curse of the dowry system, and vows that he will make his other three sisters capable enough for their future so they can choose their own groom and marry without a dowry.

Lala breaks all ties with Sapna and asks her to marry the guy of her father's choice. But on Sapna's wedding day, Harishankar realises that she is still in love with Lala and asks her to break the alliance. Sapna breaks the marriage and decides to wait for Lala; her fiancé, Swapnil, later falls for Laxmi and marries her 12 years later. Durga completes her graduation and becomes a lawyer, where she gets Gayatri's husband punished by sending him to prison on charges of dowry. Later she marries her classmate. Saraswati becomes a cop and marries her colleague. At last, Lala marries Sapna at the age of 60 after fulfilling his mother's wish.

Cast

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Production

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Development

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The film was officially announced on 3 August 2020 to mark the occasion of Raksha Bandhan.[8] Akshay Kumar stated that it is the quickest film he has signed in his career, and dedicated the film to his sister Alka Hiranandani who also serves as co-producer.[9][10] Originally this film was scheduled to release on 13 December 2021.

Filming

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Principal photography for the film commenced on 23 January 2021.[11][12] First schedule ended in July 2021 at Mumbai.[13] The film was wrapped up in Delhi in December 2021.[14][15]

Music

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Raksha Bandhan
Soundtrack album by
Himesh Reshammiya
Released6 August 2022[16]
GenreFeature film soundtrack
Length48:55
LanguageHindi
LabelZee Music Company
ProducerHimesh Reshammiya
Himesh Reshammiya chronology
Radhe
(2021) 		Raksha Bandhan
(2022) 		Middle Class Love
(2022)
Official audio
Raksha Bandhan - Full Album on YouTube

The songs were composed by Himesh Reshammiya while film score was composed and produced by Ishaan Chhabra. Irshad Kamil has written the lyrics.[17] The first song of the album "Tere Sath Hoon Main", sung by Nihal Tauro was released on 29 June 2022.[18] The second song "Kangan Ruby", sung by Reshammiya himself was released on 6 July 2022.[19] The third song titled "Done Kar Do", sung by Navraj Hans was released on 18 July 2022 and it was the first song from an Indian film to have an international release, being launched in the UK.[20] The fourth song "Dhaagon Se Baandhaa", sung by Shreya Ghoshal and Arijit Singh was released on 28 July 2022.[21]

Track listing
No.TitleSinger(s)Length
1."Tere Saath Hoon Main"Nihal Tauro5:45
2."Dhaagon Se Baandhaa"Arijit Singh, Shreya Ghoshal4:45
3."Kangan Ruby"Himesh Reshammiya4:02
4."Done Kar Do"Navraj Hans, Jyotica Tangri3:48
5."Kangan Ruby" (House Mix)Himesh Reshammiya, Akasa Singh, Akshay The One4:33
6."Raksha Bandhan"Shreya Ghoshal4:43
7."Raksha Bandhan" (Reprise)Shreya Ghoshal, Stebin Ben5:27
8."Bidaai"Romy5:44
9."Bidaai" (Reprise)Nooran Sisters, Romy5:44
10."Tu Bichhde Toh"Nihal Tauro4:24
Total length:48:55

Marketing

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The cast of Raksha Bandhan was on a promotional spree, visiting different cities across India, ahead of its release. The team, including Akshay Kumar, Aanand L Rai, Sadia Khateeb, Smrithi Srikanth, Sahejmeen Kaur and Deepika Khanna, visited Dubai, Pune, Indore and Hyderabad.[22] On 7 August 2022, the team of Raksha Bandhan film visited Hyderabad to attend a press conference at a multiplex. Akshay took his on-screen sisters to the famous MG Road at Durga Gold and Silver (Durga Jewellers),[23] for some pearl shopping and continued the tradition of gifting.[24]

Controversy

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See also: Hindutva boycott of Bollywood films

Right wing Hindu nationalists started a Twitter campaign to boycott the film, the campaign was against the film's screenwriter Kanika Dhillon for her past Hinduphobic tweets (with offensive references to gomutra) and tweets where she had mocked the Modi government; these Tweets were later deleted.[25]

Release

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Theatrical

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The film was theatrically released on 11 August 2022, coinciding with Raksha Bandhan and Independence Day.[6][26]

Home media

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The digital streaming rights of the film were acquired by ZEE5. The film digitally was released on ZEE5 from 5 October 2022.[27]

Reception

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Box office

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Raksha Bandhan earned ₹8.20 crores at the domestic box office on its opening day. On the second day, the film collected ₹6.40 crore. On the third day, the film collected ₹6.51 crore. On the fourth day, the film collected ₹7.05 crore taking a total domestic weekend collection to ₹28.16 crore.[3]

As of 8 September 2022, the film grossed ₹52.82 crore (US$6.3 million) in India and ₹8.76 crore (US$1.0 million) overseas, for a worldwide gross collection of ₹61.58 crore (US$7.4 million).[3]

Critical response

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The film received mixed to negative reviews from critics. A critic for Bollywood Hungama rated the film 3.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "The Akshay Kumar starrer Raksha Bandhan is a touching family saga, with a highly emotional second half that uplifts the film".[28] Aman Wadhwa of DNA India rated the film 3 out of 5 stars and wrote "Akshay Kumar's heartfelt and earnest performance is the biggest strength of Raksha Bandhan".[29] Archika Khurana of The Times of India rated the film 2.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "This highly emotional drama doesn't fail to touch you, but it had the potential to be a far more entertaining watch".[30] Zinia Bandyopadhyay of News 18 rated the film 2.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "it is one of those films that you can watch with the entire family, as they come together for Raksha Bandhan. Moreover, it will make you laugh and cry in equal parts".[31]

In contrast, Nandini Ramnath of Scroll.in rated the film 2 out of 5 stars and wrote "Raksha Bandhan harps away on the evils of the bride price practice before concluding that in an ideal world, women should be the ones demanding dowry".[32] Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express rated the film 1.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "Do the filmmakers truly believe that such low-rent family dramas, with their uneasy mix of humour and crassness, is the way out for a beleaguered Bollywood?".[33] Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV rated the film 1 out of 5 stars and wrote "It is hard to believe that anybody would make a film such as this in 2022. The girls of Raksha Bandhan, like the film itself, are caught in a time warp".[34] Monika Rawal Kukreja of The Hindustan Times stated "Akshay Kumar's films delivers a strong message on dowry without trivialising the issue while managing to be an entertaining watch".[35]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Raksha Bandhan". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  2. ^ "Slow start for 'Laal Singh Chaddha,' 'Raksha Bandhan', experts bank on word-of-mouth". Business Today. 11 August 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  3. ^ a b c "RAKSHA BANDHAN BOX OFFICE". Bollywood Hungama. 12 August 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  4. ^ "Akshay Kumar-Bhumi Pednekar's Rakshabandhan is writers Himanshu Sharma-Kanika Dhillon's first collaboration". The Indian Express. 11 June 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  5. ^ "Zee Studios comes on board for Akshay Kumar starrer Raksha Bandhan directed by Aanand L Rai". Bollywood Hungama. 21 June 2021. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  6. ^ a b "Akshay Kumar and Bhumi Pednekar starrer Raksha Bandhan goes on floors today". Bollywood Hungama. 21 June 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  7. ^ "Akshay Kumar and Bhumi Pednekar starrer Raksha Bandhan to release on August 11, 2022". Bollywood Hungama. 26 September 2021. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
  8. ^ "Akshay Kumar and Aanand L Rai team up for a film titled Raksha Bandhan, film to release on November 5, 2021". Bollywood Hungama. 4 August 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  9. ^ "Akshay Kumar announces new film Raksha Bandhan, dedicates it to sister Alka: 'Quickest I've signed a film in my career'". Hindustan Times. 3 August 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  10. ^ "Raksha Bandhan: Akshay Kumar Begins Shooting, Dedicates Film To His Sister Alka". NDTV. 21 June 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  11. ^ "Akshay Kumar begins Raksha Bandhan shoot, dedicates film to sister". Outlook India. 4 August 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  12. ^ "Akshay Kumar dedicates 'Raksha Bandhan' to his sister as he begins shooting for Anand L Rai's film". India TV. 21 June 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  13. ^ "Akshay Kumar wraps up Raksha Bandhan". India Today. 12 October 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  14. ^ "Akshay Kumar wraps up shooting of Aanand L Rai's 'Raksha Bandhan'". ANI News. 12 October 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  15. ^ "Raksha Bandhan: Akshay Kumar is 'off to the next' as he wraps up Anand L Rai's film". India TV News. 12 October 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  16. ^ "Raksha Bandhan – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack". Jiosaavn. 6 August 2022.
  17. ^ "Akshay on 'Raksha Bandhan', 'Laal Singh Chadha' face-off: Hope both films have a good run". ThePrint. 21 June 2022. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  18. ^ "Raksha Bandhan song Tere Saath Hoon Main: Akshay Kumar shows the tender bond between brother and sister". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
  19. ^ "Raksha Bandhan song Kangan Ruby: Akshay Kumar, Bhumi Pednekar groove to Himesh Reshammiya's wedding song". Hindustan Times. 5 July 2022. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  20. ^ "'Done Kar Do' to make Akshay Kumar and Aanand L Rai's Raksha Bandhan the first Indian movie to have an international song release". Bollywood Hungama. 19 July 2022. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  21. ^ "Raksha Bandhan का नया गाना 'Dhaagon Se Baandhaa' रिलीज, दिल छू जाएगा अक्षय कुमार का इमोशनल अंदाज". News18 हिंदी (in Hindi). Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  22. ^ "Akshay Kumar and his on-screen sisters go for some jewelry shopping to promote Raksha Bandhan". 7 August 2022.
  23. ^ "Akshay Kumar gifts pearl necklaces to on-screen 'Raksha Bandhan' sisters, tells shopkeeper 'discount nhi chahiye'". The Times of India.
  24. ^ "Raksha Bandhan star Akshay Kumar buys pearls for on-screen sisters, says 'discount nahi chaiye'".
  25. ^ Khan, Bushra (3 August 2022). "Kanika Dhillon deletes 'Hinduphobic' tweets amid #BoycottRakshaBandhanMovie trend". The Siasat Daily. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  26. ^ "Akshay Kumar and Bhumi Pednekar starrer Raksha Bandhan to release on August 11,.This movie is a box office disaster.2022". Bollywood Hungama. 26 September 2021. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
  27. ^ "Akshay Kumar starrer Raksha Bandhan to premiere on ZEE5 on October 5". Bollywood Hungama. October 2022. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  28. ^ "Raksha Bandhan Movie Review: RAKSHA BANDHAN is a touching family saga, with a highly emotional second half that uplifts the film". Bollywood Hungama. 11 August 2022. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  29. ^ "Raksha Bandhan movie review: Akshay Kumar's performance is the heart of this emotional family drama". DNA India. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  30. ^ "Raksha Bandhan Movie Review : A touching sibling bond story that turns into a social commentary". The Times of India. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  31. ^ "Raksha Bandhan Review: Akshay Kumar Delivers Earnest Performance in a Simple, Straightforward Story". News 18. 11 August 2022. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  32. ^ "'Raksha Bandhan' review: An outdated ode to brotherly love". Scroll.in. 11 August 2022. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  33. ^ "Raksha Bandhan movie review: A committed Akshay Kumar can't save this mothballed, melodramatic film". The Indian Express. 11 August 2022. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  34. ^ "Raksha Bandhan Review: Akshay Kumar Has Enormous Workload In Tone Deaf Film". NDTV. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  35. ^ "Raksha Bandhan review: Akshay Kumar film moves you to tears with strong message on dowry, entertains with clean humour". The Hindustan Times. 11 August 2022. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
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