Toilet: Ek Prem Katha trailer is gripping; Akshay Kumar takes on an important issue

Akshay Kumar and Bhumi Pednekar’s satirical comedy Toilet: Ek Prem Katha’s trailer has been released on Twitter. In it, Akshay plays a village bumpkin who gets married to the fiery Bhumi Pednekar, and she sets him off to fight for bathroom rights in the village. After facing much humiliation over what should be a natural right (people of the village travel far and wide to relieve themselves), she compels Kumar to take on a political battle over sanitation rights. A comic-drama, Toilet: Ek Prem Katha has the typically engaging performances  from veteran actors like Anupam Kher, Rajesh Sharma, and Bhumi Pednekar stands her own in what seems to be a heavy performance, but Akshay Kumar takes the centre stage. While Kumar goes the predictable route of starting with funny one-liners, he sinks into a more serious role towards the end of the trailer. Impressive comic timing, as always, from Kumar, but this film will definitely be more interesting if it takes the non-preachy route. It is, however, a story waiting to be told. Sanitation and personal hygiene is a seldom talked about issue in India. Toilet: Ek Prem Katha been garnering attention for its unique choice of subjects — matrimony and toilets. [caption id=“attachment_3535979” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Toilet Ek Prem Katha poster. Image from Twitter.[/caption] The film is inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and brings to the forefront the issue of inadequate sanitation facilities that plague the country. Kumar had earlier tweeted a promo where both he and Bhumi discussed how even after years of technological advancements, more than 50 percent of Indians do not have a functional toilet at their disposal. The story of the film revolves around exactly this deficiency. Kumar and Pednekar’s characters have been named Keshav and Jaya respectively. Because of the social context of the film, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) chairperson Pahlaj Nihalani also praised Toilet: Ek Prem Katha and said it should be made tax free . He also appreciated Kumar’s diverse film choices, which in the recent past, have revolved around social messages. The film will hit the screens on 11 august, 2017. Watch the trailer here: