Akshay Kumar: Wearing turban fills me with pride

Actor Akshay Kumar, who is busy with the shoot of his upcoming film "Kesari", says wearing a turban for the role fills him with pride.

Akshay attended the trailer launch of the film "Nanak Shah Fakir" here on Thursday.

After "Singh Is Kinng" and "Singh Is Bling", Akshay will be seen sporting a turban in "Kesari" yet again.

"I have been shooting for 'Kesari' since the last one and a half months, and every time that I wear the taaj (turban) on my head, I am filled with pride," he said.

Earlier, Akshay had shifted the release date of "Pad Man" because of "Padmaavat". Akshay let the controversial "Padmaavat" get a solo release, and now he has stepped in to support "Nanak Shah Fakir".

"I am not doing this because of any kind of thing, I am doing it because I believe in it," said Akshay, who believes in the concept of "Ik Onkar", which means 'one God'.

His own film "Kesari" is a war drama based on the Battle of Saragarhi in which an army of 21 Sikhs fought against the Afghans in 1897. It stars Akshay and Parineeti Chopra in the lead roles and is directed by Anurag Singh.

The film 'Nanak Shah Fakir' released in 2015 after having a tough time getting clearance from the censor board. Within a week of its release, the film was banned by the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC).

The SGPC has now vetted the film that has been modified based on their feedback, and it is being distributed for release on April 13 via Viacom18 Motion Pictures.

On the film's re-release, Akshay said it is a "blessing in disguise".

"Nanak Shah Fakir" is based on the life and teachings of the first Sikh guru, Guru Nanak Dev.

It is produced by Harinder S. Sikka under the banner of M/S Gurbani Media Pvt Ltd. The original score of the film was composed by Tuomas Kantelinen.