NEW DELHI: It was the ”damning statistics linked to open defecation in India”, rather than the box office, that led him to try and to make a difference through his latest film ‘Toilet Ek Prem Katha’, Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar has said.
”Hearing the damning statistics linked to open defecation was enough to trigger my urge to make a difference through film,” Akshay said in an interview to Los Angeles Times.
In an e-mail interview to the US daily, Akshay, asserting that he was not bothered about box-office collections, said that even if 5 per cent people watching the film helped build toilets, he would feel his film was successful.
”I am not bothered about box-office collections. I don’t know how many people will watch the film eventually, but even if 5 per cent helped build toilets, I will feel my film is successful,” the actor said.
“I just can’t fathom how we’ve been able to launch rockets to Mars and the moon but still not been able to build toilets to end open defecation across the country,” he said.
Inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, ‘Toilet: Ek Prem Katha,” which stars Akshay Kumar and Bhumi Pednekar, tackles the problem of open defecation.
Talking about the film, Akshay Kumar said, ”this is essentially a love story but when you scratch beneath the surface, there are hard-hitting facts and issues underlined in this film.”
Akshay said that in preparing for the film, he met several Indians who lacked toilets.
In its feature about the film headlined ‘A Bollywood star made a feature film about a toilet’, the LA times said, ”It is an unlikely subject for Bollywood, famous for its lavish love stories and action sequences featuring beautiful stars in exotic locales. It addresses taboos prevalent in parts of rural India, where many consider it unclean to have a toilet inside the house.”
‘Toilet Ek Prem Katha’ hit cinema screens on August 11. (AGENCIES)
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