Aanand L Rai celebrates 8 years of Raanjhanaa on Day 1 of Raksha Bandhan

Earlier in the day, Akshay Kumar had revealed that the shooting for his Aanand L Rai film, Raksha Bandhan goes on floors today. The director is also celebrating the completion of eight years of a film extremely close to his heart – Raanjhanaa. The film had starred Sonam Kapoor, Dhanush and Abhay Deol in the lead roles. While Raanjhanaa opened to good reviews post its release, it has been criticised lately for its romanticisation of stalker culture. As conversations evolve following the #MeToo movement, many have highlighted how the Hindi film industry has often glorified the “uske na mai haan hai” behaviour and hence, the spotlight had fallen on Raanjhanaa. However, the film still enjoys mass popularity for its strong OST.

Speaking on the film’s 8th anniversary, Aanand L Rai said: “21st June means a lot to me. This day made me courageous! Brave enough to tell the stories which I believed in. Eight years back on the same day, Raanjhanaa released, and today, I started shooting for Raksha Bandhan! May Mahadev grace this story the way he did Raanjhanaa!”

Kumar, who plays the lead role opposite Bhumi Pednekar in Raksha Bandhan had shared a post with Rai. “Growing up my sister, Alka was my first friend. It was the most effortless friendship. @aanandlrai’s #RakshaBandhan is a dedication to her and a celebration of that special bond. Day one of shoot today, need your love and best wishes,” he had written in the caption.