Akshay begins shooting for 'Rustom'

Ileana D'Cruz and Esha Gupta will keep him company.

After collaborating on two films, Special 26 and Baby, Akshay Kumar and Neeraj Pandey's next, Rustom, is as much about love as it's about action.

Written by Neeraj and Vipul Rawal, the romance thriller, set in the '50s, marks the directorial debut of Tinu Desai. Ileana D'Cruz and Esha Gupta are the Khiladi Kumar's two leading ladies.

Ileana will be back in Bollywood a year-and-a-half after Raj-DK's Happy Ending. Esha was seen late last year in a T-Series music video, "Main Rahoon Ya Na Rahoon,", also featuring Emraan Hashmi.

Akki, who brought in the New Year with a Republic Day release, Airlift, has booked the Independence Day weekend for Rustom. Mirror had earlier reported (November 18, 2015) that costume designer Ameira Punvani has been working on Akshay's look for three months. "It reflects the flared pants, charcoal ties and cardigans of the era. He will also use prosthetics for his role," a source had informed.

The actor looked every bit the character when he walked out of his vanity van on Monday afternoon. "Akshay and Ileana kicked off the schedule at a suburban studio, Esha will join them shortly. It will also be shot in the UK and parts of Europe," added the source. "The film will feature a supporting cast of actors from London, inspired by characters from history."