When Akshay Kumar decided to break his 12-year tradition and step out to work on his birthday on September 9, he probably didn’t anticipate that he’ll be doing so solo. It is learnt that Aishwarya Rai Bachchan won’t be attending the unveiling of the first look of Action Replayy, her forthcoming film with the actor who turns 43 on Thursday.

Aishwarya is currently in Italy and isn’t likely to return before September 12. However, Producer Vipul Shah dismissed the speculation surrounding the actor’s absence from their film’s first event.

“I had discussed it with Aishwarya before she left Mumbai. She mentioned to me that she wouldn’t be in town around this time of the month. She’s already committed to shoot an international campaign in Italy and that couldn’t be rescheduled,” he says, adding, “Of course, we’ll miss her this time. But I’m sure she will be present for the other promotional activities of the film.”

Birthday compromise
Interestingly, Shah had planned to unveil Action Replayy’s first look on Kumar’s birthday. “But then, I wasn’t sure if I’d be ready. There are lots of ifs and buts and I’m glad that it has all come together and happening as I thought it should. Usually he doesn’t work on this day, but this gesture shows how much he believes in the film,” he enthuses.

The first theatrical trailer of the movie will feature the lead actors’ romantic banter, some funny scenes apart from the two in a musical piece set in the 1970s.

For the film scheduled to release this Diwali on November 5, Shah is finalising the marketing strategies to make the most of the festive season. “After launching the first theatrical trailer, we’ll finalise our promotional strategy. We’re planning some really novel concepts, which we’ll reveal later this month,” he says.