History books have little about Maharajas and more about invaders, says Akshay Kumar

Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar said history textbooks carry little information about Indian kings but a lot about invaders. He was speaking ahead of his new release based on emperor Prithviraj Chauhan.

He told ANI that it is unfortunate that history textbooks have only two-three lines about the King. He added that there is hardly anything about our culture and our Maharajas in the books. The actor appealed to the Education Minister to look into the matter.

The film starring Akshay Kumar and Samrat Prithviraj is set to hit the screens this Friday. The actor plays the role of Prithviraj Chauhan, a Rajput king from the Chahamana dynasty that ruled India between the 6th and 12th centuries. The movie is based on a Braj language epic poem about the life of the king.

The actor said he is requesting the minister to see if the content of textbooks can be balanced. He said we should know about Mughals but know about "our kings" too. He added that Indian kings were great too.

About his first period drama, Akshay Kumar had said he is honoured to play a man that stood for his country. He added that the crew wanted to give a glorious and the most authentic tribute to the incredibly valiant king.

After the trailer of the Yash Raj film dropped, many found it to be a repetition of 'Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior' and 'Bajirao Mastani'. Some also took to social media to say the trailer does not look as good as previous movies dealing with a similar plot. Some also criticised the trailer for being too generic with battle scenes and lack of nuance in Akshay Kumar's performance. The trailer also does not give any insights into the king's attitude about women's rights or governance.

Samrat Prithviraj is directed by Chandraprakash Dwivedi, known for the 1991 Doordarshan serial Chanakya.