Zee Cinema celebrates Akshay Kumar’s 50th birthday with ‘Shanivaar Ki Raat Akshay Ke Saath’ Starting 2nd Sep

Mumbai: As actor Akshay Kumar turns 50 this year and has done over a whopping 120 films in his glorious career. With one of the highest number of hits and eight movies in the Rs. 100 crore club, Akshay Kumar’s films across genres have been consistently successful at the Box Office and have broken several viewership records on television as well.

Zee Cinema will celebrate his accomplishments and present audiences with some of his films that kick-started his this journey to stardom. One of the most successful properties of Zee Cinema, ‘Shanivaar Ki Raat’ has been credited for entertaining audiences with Amitabh Bachchan’s biggest blockbusters. Passing the baton from the Shahenshah of Bollywood to India’s most loved family entertainer Akshay Kumar, Zee Cinema will now present ‘Shanivaar Ki Raat Akshay Ke Saath’ with some of his movies that have never been shown on television before. From the cramped streets of Chandni Chowk to being a chef in Bangkok, he started out as an action hero in the film Industry and expanded his boundaries with time. His journey is one of the most inspiring success stories of Bollywood as he essays a variety of characters with ease including that of a patriot, a heart-throb, a dotting son, a caring friend, a loving partner amongst many others.

In the late 90s and early 2000s, if there was a duo who was delivering back to back hits in the Hindi film industry, it was Akshay Kumar and Suneel Darshan. The actor-director-producer duo gave several successes and became the trade’s favourite jodi. With a marvelous career spanning over 25 years, Zee Cinema will treat his fans with his films every Saturday at 9 PM. The birthday month celebration begins with Jaanwar, Andaaz as the birthday bonanza and continues with Ek Rishta and Dosti: Friends Forever. Kick-starting the festival will be the crime and love drama Jaanwar on 2nd September, starring Akshay Kumar opposite Karisma Kapoor and Shilpa Shetty along with Mohnish Behl, Aashish Vidyarthi and Ashutosh Rana. Next in line, catch the romantic musical Andaaz on 9th September. Marking the debut of Priyanka Chopra and Lara Dutta, Andaaz not only had a stellar box-office collection but was also loved for the performances by the lead cast. In the following week, Zee Cinema will treat viewers with Ek Rishta on 16th September, in which Akshay Kumar shared the screen space with Megastar Amitabh Bachchan. On 23rd September, Zee Cinema presents Dosti: Friends Forever starring Akshay Kumar along with Bobby Deol, Kareena Kapoor and Lara Dutta.

Celebrating the magnificent journey of Akshay Kumar, the festival will commence with these time-honored hidden gems of Akshay Kumar that will telecast for the first time on television and have a remarkable conclusion with the World Television Premiere of Akshay Kumar’s latest blockbuster Toilet: Ek Prem Katha.

Business Head, Zee Hindi Movies Cluster, Mr. Ruchir Tiwari said “Shanivaar Ki Raat Amitabh Ke Saath was one of the longest running and most prestigious property of Zee Cinema. The entertainment quotient of Amitabh Bachchan’s blockbusters has enthralled audiences since decades. After Mr. Bachchan, Akshay Kumar stands as an ace family entertainer who caters to various audience segments with a humongous loyal fan following and is a viewership magnet. Hence, he can rightly take forward the legacy of ‘Shanivaar Ki Raat’ and take it notches higher. We are thrilled to add Suneel Darshan’s repertoire to Zee Cinema’s vast library as these films mark the beginning of Akshay Kumar’s successful career. Zee Cinema will also entertain audiences with Gold, 2.0, and Pad-Man”  

Ever since he started as a producer in 1988, Suneel Darshan was a rare producer who did not sell the satellite rights of any of his movies. Giving the satellite rights of Akshay Kumar’s films amongst other blockbusters to Zee Cinema, Suneel Darshan said, “Television is a growing medium that is available in every household and Zee Cinema is synonymous to being the family movie destination in millions of Indian households. Working with Akshay has always been a great experience. He is disciplined and fun loving at the same time. Akshay made a comeback with Jaanwar, strengthened his position with Ek Rishtaa and sky rocketed after Andaaz. I have launched many newcomers like Karisma Kapoor, Miss Universe Lara Dutta, Miss World Priyanka Chopra, Kareena Kapoor opposite Akshay Kumar. With Zee Cinema showcasing our movies for the first time on television, I am excited to see the audience response. It is the same feeling one gets when a film is about to hit the theatres. I am hopeful of receiving greater adulation than we did during the theatrical release.”

Schedule for ‘Shanivaar Ki Raat Akshay Ke Saath’