Bigg Boss 13’s Sidharth Shukla sports a red bindi as he joins Akshay Kumar’s Laxmii campaign

Days before the release of his film, Laxmii, Akshay Kumar initiated a Laal Bindi campaign to show respect for the third gender. In the film, Akshay plays a character who gets possessed by the spirit of a transgender.

Sharing a picture of himself, wearing a large red vermillion dot on his forehead, Akshay wrote: “Maine toh laga li hai pyaar aur samanta ki Laal Bindi (I have put on a vermillion dot to show respect and equality). Now it’s your turn to join me using ‘Ab Hamari Baari Hai’ filter on Instagram as a symbol of love and acceptance for the third gender!”

Actor and Bigg Boss 13 winner Sidharth Shukla was among those who participated in the campaign. Sharing a picture of himself with it, he wrote: “Really admire the initiative that Akki sir has started. We got to take a step beyond and show love, acceptance and support towards the third gender. Let’s wear the Laal Bindi and come together kyunki #AbHamariBaariHai unka saath dene ki jinhone aaj tak hamari khushi mein saath diya (it is our turn to give love to those who have been part of our happiness).”

Actor Tusshar Kapoor also participated in it and wrote: “Yeh Laal Bindi sirf ek shringar nahi, par samman ki pehchaan hai (red dot is not just a piece of cosmetic, it is also about respect)! Maine toh apna liya, ab aap bhi apnaiye kyunki #AbHamariBaariHai Become a part by using ‘Ab Hamari Baari Hai’ filter on Instagram as a symbol of love and acceptance for the third gender!”

The Laal Bindi is an Instagram feature, which enables the user to sport a vermillion dot. The picture turns black and white with the red dot dominating the frame.

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Laxmii, initially called Laxmmi Bomb, underwent a name change after Shri Rajput Karni Sena sent a legal notice to the makers, alleging that it offended Hindu sentiments.

The film also features Kiara Advani and is a remake of Tamil hit Kanchana 2. It has been directed by Raghava Lawrence who starred in the original Tamil franchise and also directed them. Transgender activist Laxmi Narayan Tripathi has been part of the film’s promotions.

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