Reliance Entertainment’s Holiday: A Soldier Is Never Off Duty Set For Success After Promising Opening Weekend At Global Box Office

Bollywood icon Akshay Kumar’s latest film release Holiday: A Soldier Is Never Off Duty, which has set a precedent by being released in several new territories for the first time, is set to soar high at global box offices after accumulating very promising opening weekend collections, and garnering a host of positive reviews. The film has already entered the ‘Highest Grossers of 2014’ list and performed well in territories including the UK, USA, Canada, the Middle East, The Far East and Australia. In the South of India too, the film has performed very well, hailing a feather in the cap for its Tamil director A.R. Murugadoss.

Following its opening weekend, the film has amassed impressive Box Office takings of 41.32 Cr. in India alone, whilst in the UAE-GCC, the film got off to a superb start, taking 2.11 Cr. which is the highest ever single day gross for Akshay Kumar in this region. In the UK, the film is also performing very well, despite being 15 certificate release. Holiday also surpassed the overall collections of Amitabh Bachchan’s Bhoothnath Returns which stood at 37.50 crores and Yaariyaan which had a collection of 40 crores at the domestic box office.

Renowned film critic Taran Adarsh described Holiday as a ‘slick action-thriller that keeps you engrossed, enthralled and captivated all through, thanks to its fascinating premise and a watertight, razor-sharp screenplay’, whilst Times of India proclaimed the ‘Core plot to be compelling and finely directed, describing Akshay’s stunts as ‘jaw-dropping’.

Other positive reviews saw Holiday being praised as a thought-provoking, incisive and different type of action thriller film. Subhash K Jha from IANS gave the film 5 stars out of 5 and said: ‘Akshay’s character’s basic argument that terrorism can only be countered when the counter-terrorists are as fearless about losing their lives as the terrorists, is put forward with such gusto and conviction, we really can’t argue with the plot premise.’ He added: ‘the last farewell song, an ode to the dedication and sacrifices of Indian soldiers, will leave you moist eyed. This is Akshay’s most engaging entertainer in recent times.’

Mohar Basu from Koimoi said: ‘Don’t miss Holiday for the sheer fun of watching a film that wins solely for its delicious brutish action.’ He added: ‘Don’t miss this one for the reckless headlong roller coaster ride it holds for you.
Holiday is mostly a delectable film, with Akshay’s superfluous action sequences beguiling you to watch the film.’

The plot of this gripping film is quite unprecedented in Indian cinema and the reality and rawness of the script is evident from the start of the film. Akshay Kumar essays the role of Virat Bakshi, a military officer who is on holiday with his battalion in his bustling home city of Mumbai. However, unbeknown to his fellow officers, Virat is also an undercover Secret Defence Intelligence Agent, masterly skilled and trained in covert anti-terror intelligence operations. Whilst on a family visit to Mumbai, Virat is caught up in a gruesome terror attack.

The film truly captures the reality of the issues the world is currently facing today and has most certainly caught the attention of the India, where people have been hanging garlands on the film posters in honour of the Akshay Kumar’s engaging performance. The Bollywood icon has also spoken of how he fully submerged himself into this raw, gritty role from which he learned a huge amount around the notion of sleeper cells, the role they have played in terrorist attacks and the importance of cleaning them up to safeguard populations. Co-star Sonakshi Sinha, who plays love interest Nisha adds a glamourous female touch to the film and sets the screen alight with her feisty role as a boxer.

Holiday: A Soldier Is Never Off Duty is in cinemas nationwide. Released by Reliance Entertainment