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Did you know Akshay Kumar's father had cancer when he was shooting for Waqt with Amitabh Bachchan?

Akshay Kumar's film Waqt: A Race Against Time, starring Amitabh Bachchan, Shefali Shah and Priyanka Chopra and Boman Irani, was not only praised for its performances but etched a permanent place in the hearts and minds of the audience due to its emotional connect. Not just the fans, the film is close to Akshay's heart as well because during its shooting, the actor's father, Hari Om Bhatia, was suffering  from cancer.

For the unversed, in Waqt, Akshay’s father, played by Amitabh Bachchan, had cancer too and his character of Ishwarchand Thakur was suffering from the deadly disease. Isn't that ironic? Hence, it was quite emotional for Akshay to play a son of a cancer-striken father, both in real-life and reel-life.

[caption id="attachment_228751" align="aligncenter" width="647"] A still from Waqt: A Race Against Time[/caption]

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During a recent interview with Rajeev Masand, Akshay talked about his situation at that time and said, "That time even my father had cancer. And in the film, Mr Bachchan’s character also had cancer. If you see those scenes, they are real. It was a very hard film for me emotionally. There were so many times when the scene was over but I couldn’t stop my emotions. Which is why this film will always be in my memory."

Meanwhile, on the work front, the actor is busy promoting his next film Kesari, based on the legendary Battle of Saragarhi, in which 21 Sikh soldiers of the British India Army fought against 10,000 Afghan tribal warriors. Directed by Anurag Singh, the film also stars Parineeti Chopra and is slated to hit the theatres on March 21.

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