Producer Akki’s ticket to Hollywood

Star Akshay Kumar’s Indo-Canadian co-production Break Away acquired by Alliance Films, to release as mainstream Hollywood movie. Hope not another Kites!

Hrithik Roshan’s plans of crossing over with

HT Image

Kites

may have failed. Aamir Khan may be set to distribute his films in the world market. But it’s Akshay Kumar now, who appears to have made a fair inroad into Hollywood. There’s still a month to go before

Break Away

, his Indo-Canadian co-production directed by Robert Lieberman, goes on the floors, but the actor-producer has already sealed a distribution deal with Alliance Films - the studio that has distributed films like

The Lord Of The Rings

trilogy and

Kill Bill

(2003). It has also co-produced Steven Spielberg’s much-acclaimed

Munich

(2005).

It is learned that Akshay’s film is set against the backdrop of ice hockey. And it doesn’t star the actor himself. Unlike other hero-centric movies where the male lead is finalised first, the superstar and his director Lieberman signed on Emily VanCamp as the heroine and only a couple of days ago, confirmed Vinay Virmani as the protagonist. Canadian born Virmani is an ice hockey player from the country’s South Asian community. He has trained at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute, New York. The casting led to the deal with Alliance Films.

Akshay, who’s producing the movie under his banner Hari Om Productions (which he started in the name of his father), isn’t very forthcoming with the details of his deal with Alliance Films. He says, “It’s too early to talk now. We’re still in process of getting the paperwork ready.

Break Away

is a film very close to my heart and I’ll do everything I can, to ensure that it shapes up perfectly and reaches out to as wide an audience as possible.”

When asked why he wasn’t playing the lead role himself, Kumar laughed, “I’ve been supporting sports even before I became an actor. When the script of

Break Away

set against ice hockey came my way, I decided to produce it. The idea is to contribute to meaningful cinema that will be remembered by the people for a long time to come. I didn’t venture into an international co-production with the intention of launching myself as an actor in Hollywood.”