Gaurav Dubey (MID-DAY; April 20, 2015)

Close on the heels of Salman Khan wielding the paint brush to spruce up a village in Karjat while shooting there, Akshay Kumar brightened up a Patiala hamlet while filming Singh Is Bliing. With the assistance of his film’s production team, Akki provided a colourful makeover to Malomal, a village in Punjab’s Sangrur district.

A source says, “The houses and the streets in the village have been painted in bright hues like red, orange and yellow to lend an ancient feel. The team wanted to give back something to the rural folk for their hospitality while shooting there.”

A unit hand confirms the story, saying: “The houses in Malomal were not in a good condition and urgently needed a fresh coat of paint. When Akshay sir and the production team got the entire village painted, the villagers were pleasantly surprised and treated us to some tasty Punjabi food.” In January this year, Salman had got a village in Karjat painted while shooting for Sooraj Barjatya’s Prem Ratan Dhan Paayo and Kabir Khan’s Bajrangi Bhaijaan.

Akshay was not available for comment.