Karan Johar Reveals Akshay Kumar’s Punjabi Secret at Trailer Launch of ‘Akaal’; Calls Gippy Grewal the Film’s Soul:

Karan Johar, who is set to produce his first Punjabi film, Akaal, under his banner Dharma Productions, revealed in an interview a funny detail of Akshay Kumars tendency to speak Punjabi privately, especially from Apurva Mehta for whom English is the default language of conversation.

Karan humorously remembered that every time Kumar wishes to keep certain aspects of the situation from Apurva, he starts speaking in Punjabi. That makes everyone present in the room amused. It is a small detail, but while they move on with their lives, it has formed a part of them.

Karan said at the trailer launch of Akaal, “Even today, when the main negotiator is Apurva Mehta and Akshay Kumar wants to keep certain issues from Apurva, he talks to me in Punjabi (laughs).”

Karan further pondered the strong Punjabi connection of Bollywood and said that so many legendary producers like Manmohan Desai, Yash Chopra and directors J Om Prakash came from Punjab.

He said, “All the producers and directors used to come from Punjab. Manmohan Desai’s set, or Yash Chopra’s set and J Om Prakash’s set, everyone spoke Punjabi. The hero was from punjab. The South Indian girl was the heroine. That was a sort of a prototype.”

On a private level, Karan was inclined to remember the family’s dialect, stating, “My father would converse with the distributors in the morning Punjabi. I could understand Punjabi well, but the problem was when my mother woke up and started talking Sindhi. That’s what made it puzzling for me. I have a complete understanding of Punjabi.”

At the same time, Karan shared his enthusiasm for Akaal, Dharma Productions’ first Punjabi film, featuring Gippy Grewal. Karan claimed on the trailer launch on 18 March, “As they say in Jerry Maguire: ‘You had me at Hello’ Because, for me, it is ‘You had me at Gippy Grewal.’”

The awaited film will be released in theaters on the 10th of April. It will be available in Hindi and Punjabi. It is a big step into the Punjab film industry for Dharma Productions.