Akshay Kumar is looking forward to the release of his new film Gold which is based on India’s first gold medal win at the London Olympics in 1948 as a free nation. Fittingly, the film is releasing on this Independence Day, August 15, marking the 70th anniversary of free India's first gold medal.  On Monday, Akshay met the ‘living hockey legend’ Balbir Singh who was a part of the winning team at the Olympics in 1948.

Akshay, on Twitter, shared a picture with the senior player and said that he was a part of the winning team that brought home the first coveted Gold medal for India as a sovereign nation. Singh is a three-time Olympic gold champion. He won the medals in London (1948), as a Vice-Captain in Helsinki (1952) and as the Captain in Melbourne (1956).

RECOMMENDED READ: Akshay Kumar’s Gold now has a Twitter emoji

https://twitter.com/akshaykumar/status/1028978826037026816

Singh is regarded as the greatest hockey player ever, a modern-day Dhyan Chand. His Olympic record for goals scored by an individual in an Olympic men's hockey final remains unbeaten. He set this record when he scored five goals in India’s 6-1 victory over the Netherlands in the gold medal game of the Helsinki 1952 Olympics. Surprisingly, Singh did not play all the matches in the Olympics. He played only two matches but emerged as the highest scorer of his team.

Reema Kagti's Gold is a fictional take on a real-life incident and casts Akshay as Tapan Das, a Bengali gentleman who is instrumental in creating the team that clinches the gold medal. The film boasts of an ensemble cast including Amit Sadh, Kunal Kapoor, Vineet Singh, and Sunny Kaushal, apart from Akshay. Popular television actress Mouni Roy is making her Bollywood debut with this film. Gold is produced by Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar. It will release on August 15.