“I agree India is not wrong and is also right."
Akshay Kumar opened up about changing the name of his new film Mission Raniganj.
The film is based on IIT Dhanbad mining engineer Jaswant Singh Gill, who rescued 65 miners at the Raniganj Coalfields in 1989.
It was initially titled Capsule Gill before later changing to The Great Indian Rescue.
Along with the poster release in September 2023 came the new title Mission Raniganj: The Great Bharat Rescue.
This title change came amid rumours that the government would officially change India’s name to Bharat.
Akshay has now spoken about the title change, saying:
“Is there anything wrong if we changed it to Bharat? No, right. So just enjoy it.”
When told that India is not wrong, Akshay added:
“I agree India is not wrong and is also right.
“Bharat is a great name and it is in our constitution so we decided to change it.”
Mission Raniganj was released on October 6, 2023, and on its release, Akshay Kumar highlighted the recent successes of Indian films.
He said: “I hope the industry gives more and more hits. I was very happy when Shah Rukh Khan’s Jawan did such a good business.
“There are many other films, like Gadar 2, OMG 2, which also did well. So it’s very good for the industry.
“Our industry went through a very bad patch because of Covid-19 times.
“Now things are moving and it’s a great thing that Rs. 1,000 crore is a benchmark.
“Also, I hope that we make Rs. 2,000-3,000 crore films like Hollywood, because the kind of cinema, the screenplay, the script that we have they don’t have.”
When asked what his thoughts on commercial success were, Akshay continued:
“Commercial success is important because you have to make other films, but it also depends on what kind of commercial success you will get.
“Talking about Mission Raniganj (MR), this film is made on a certain budget. I want to call MR a commercial film.
“It’s not a Jawan or a Rowdy Rathore. It’s not that kind of film. It has a niche audience, but I hope it does good business.”
So far, Mission Raniganj has received a mixed reception.
Bollywood Hungama gave the film 3.5 out of 5 and said:
“On the whole, Mission Raniganj makes an impact due to the subject, clap-worthy moments in the second half, nail-biting moments and Akshay Kumar’s performance.
“The director cinematography is fine but the first half is a bit weak and doesn’t create the desired impact.”
However, NDTV gave the film 1.5 out of 5 and said:
“The film reinforces the lingering belief that Hindi cinema should leave true stories alone, especially if Akshay Kumar is to be placed at the centre of the action.”