Akshay Kumar
Akshay KumarVarinder Chawla

Akshay Kumar will reportedly be seen playing the character of former Indian hockey player Balbir Singh in upcoming movie Gold.

Reema Kagti directorial Gold will be a sports based film, highlighting the story of India's first ever Olympic gold medal as a free nation in 1948. Now it has been reported that Akshay will be seen portraying the story about legendary hockey player Balbir Singh.

"Though the world is aware of Dhyan Chand, there is another Hockey hero who has ironically not been talked about in the same breath. However, the fact is that Balbir Singh was the hero of the gold campaign that Indian enjoyed not just in 1948 but also 1952 and 1956 Olympics," DNA quoted a source as saying.

Akshay is one such actor who is very fond of portraying real-life characters on the big screen. His last two blockbusters Airlift and Rustom, were also based on real-life incidents and people. While Akshay showcased India's biggest human evacuation programme in Airlift, Rustom presented him in the shoes of naval officer KM Nanavati.

Akshay had shared the teaser poster of Gold some time back and had also announced the release date tweeting, "Set in 1948, the historic story of India's first Olympic medal as a free nation, #Gold coming to you on 15th August, 2018."

Akshay is currently one of the most successful Bollywood actors with back to back hits. The actor has a number of films lined up including Jolly LLB 2, Toilet-Ek Prem Katha, Crack, Namastey England and Gold.