Hindi movie Gold, starring Akshay Kumar, has become the first Bollywood film to be released in Saudi Arabia. It is the only the second Indian film to be screened in theaters in the Gulf country, after Rajinikanth’s Kaala, after it lifted the ban on film exhibition in April this year. Kaala was released in Saudi Arabia in June this year, PTI reported.
Akshay Kumar has played the lead role of a hockey team manager in the Reema Kagti-directed historical sports drama. The actor took to Twitter to share the news with his fans on Aug. 3o, the day the movie was released in Saudi Arabia.
The story of India’s first Gold medal victory for the first time in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Happy to share, #Gold is the first ever Bollywood movie to release in the Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia, in cinemas from today! @excelmovies @ZeeStudiosInt
— Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) August 30, 2018
Gold narrates the story of the first ever victory of Independent India’s hockey team at the Olympic Games in 1948 in London. Prior to that, Indian players used to play under British India. The film shows how Tapan Das, who was a hockey team manager in the pre-Independence team, inspired the young players to beat Britain on its own ground to avenge the English subjugation of the country for 200 years. The role of Tapan Das has been played by Akshay Kumar.
Gold was released in India on Aug. 15, on the occasion of the Independence Day. It was released in 3,050 screens in the country, and collected over Rs 25 crore on its opening day.
The film, which also stars Mouni Roy, Amit Sadh and Kunal Kapoor, crossed the Rs 100 crore-mark on the 13th day of its release. It is Akshay Kumar’s ninth film to find its way into the club of movies collecting over Rs 100 crore.
The first international film to be screened in Saudi Arabia after a 35-year gap was Black Panther, which was released in the country on April 18 this year. The country used to allow exhibition of films earlier, but it was banned on account of strict Islamic laws, India Today reported.