Akshay Kumar said he hopes hockey catches Indian youth's fancy after the release of his upcoming film Gold.
Besides, Gold, Diljit Dosanjh's next Soorma is also set against the backdrop of hockey.
"Youngsters want to see different kind of sports. Today other than cricket, football, kabaddi are also coming up. I hope this film gives hockey that status, hope with this film the craze for hockey increases, also people will come to know about the history of hockey, when we got our first gold medal.
"In reality, today things are changing and hockey is getting a lot of support from the government," Akshay told reporters here last evening.
The film, directed by Reema Kagti, is based on true events about India winning its first Olympic gold medal in hockey as a free nation in 1948.
Akshay said Gold is "not a hockey film, it is a sports film" and it showed how the whole country united and how the game became big.
The film is clashing with John Abraham's Satyamev Jayate on August 15 and Akshay believes two films can release on the same day.
"He (John) is my friend. In the film industry, we all are friends. Anyone can come on any date or even come together on the same date. I hope both the films do well at the box office," he said.
When asked why Gold should be the first choice for the audience to watch in the theatres, Akshay said, "I am nobody to tell anyone what their first choice should be. The first choice belongs to the audience, that is going to spend money. My job is to tell them that I am coming up with a fine film."
The actor, who plays team manager Tapas Das, said he worked hard to get his look and Bengali accent right.
"People don't know about the technicians who are equally involved in making a film, there are people who do not become famous. My character is somewhat like that. Long ago, I stayed in Kolkata for two years," he said.
"I had a dialect coach to get the accent. There was a fear that it shouldn't sound caricaturish and so far no one has said that to me," he added.
The film also stars Mouni Roy, Amit Sadh, Kunal Kapoor and Vineet Singh.
