At the Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah, the Indian actor addressed the crowd and said: “I’m making a film on sex education. It’s a very important subject. In a lot of places, it is not there. We have all kinds of subjects we learn in school but sex is one education is one I’d like all the schools in the world to have it because it is important.”

The title and director were not disclosed, although Kumar did add: “It’s going to take time to release. In April or May I will be releasing that film. It’s one of the best films I have made.”

One of India's most bankable actors, Kumar has starred in a number of critically acclaimed, blockbuster action films. However, he also produced social plays like Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, which examined India's sanitation issues, and Pad Man, which was based on the true account of a man who produced low-cost sanitary pads for women in rural areas.

“I like doing these kinds of films, social films,” he stated. “These kinds of films are not that big a commercial success but surely give me satisfaction.”

The Red Sea director of international programming, Kaleem Aftab, tried in vain to calm the crowd as the Bollywood star spoke at a sold-out in-conversation event at RSIFF in Jeddah. The audience was made up of fans who yelled "Akshay" upon his arrival and rushed the stage at the conclusion of the event.

CONDEMNATIONS

But not everyone in the audience was as enthralled by the celebrity. When Kumar lauded India's prime minister Narendra Modi, five individuals left the room. The actor and producer introduced a clip from the movie Toilet by saying: “That’s another thing in India we have, which has drastically now changed, thanks to my Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He is the first prime minister who spoke about Swachh Bharat [a country-wide campaign initiated by the Indian government in 2014 to eliminate open defecation].”

In recent years, Kumar has become well-known for his growing closeness to Modi and the BJP-(BHARATIYA JANATA PARTY) led administration.

During a loud Q & A with mostly overjoyed fans, one man asked the following question: “I’m from Pakistan, your neighbour country. I have a request. You do fantastic movies like Pad Man and Toilet, bringing knowledge to the people, solving daily routine issues. There is an issue between India and Pakistan as well… Your recent movie Bell Bottom has certain things against Pakistan.”

The actor interrupted the inquiry and answered:“Sir, it’s just a movie. Don’t get so serious about it. It’s just a movie. There are many things like that. It’s just a movie, sir.”

AKSHAY KUMAR ON THE WORK FRONT

Kumar plays an Indian secret agent in the Hindi-language thriller Bell Bottom, which was inspired by the hijackings of Indian Airlines in the 1980s. It received criticism for what some saw as anti-Pakistan sentiments, and due to historical mistakes, it was also outlawed in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Qatar.

SHAH RUKH KHAN

Shah Rukh Khan, who received an honorary award during the festival's opening ceremony on December 1, is one of the other Indian stars on the lineup for RSIFF, which runs through December 10.