Samuk: Akshay Kumar Begins Shooting India’s First Alien Survival Thriller

Tanisha Sharma August 24, 2026 Akshay Kumar, Samuk

Akshay Kumar is heading somewhere he’s never gone before — literally. The actor has officially begun principal photography on Samuk, an ambitious alien survival-action thriller being billed as a first-of-its-kind genre experiment for Indian cinema. Filming kicked off today, August 24, in London.

Table of Contents

Here’s everything we know about the project so far.

What is Samuk?

Samuk combines military realism, survival horror, and alien mythology into a genre that producer Vipul Amrutlal Shah has described as something India’s film industry hasn’t attempted at this scale before. The story blends large-scale action with a science-fiction survival narrative, positioning it as a genuine departure from anything currently in Akshay Kumar’s filmography.

Full plot details haven’t been revealed yet, but the project has been in active development for more than two years, with the team building out the film’s world, visual style, and action design well before cameras started rolling.

SAMUK Begins today!!!#AkshayKumar sir bringing out India’s first Alien thriller. pic.twitter.com/t0wTYklBhm

— Akshay Kumar 24×7 (@Akkistaan) August 24, 2026

The shoot

Principal photography began today in London, where roughly 90% of the film will be shot, with the remaining portion filmed in Mumbai. Notably, the entire shoot is being planned as one continuous schedule rather than broken into multiple patches — an unusually demanding production approach for a film of this scale.

Who’s involved

Akshay Kumar leads the film, marking his seventh collaboration with producer Vipul Amrutlal Shah — and their first project together in 13 years. Shah called the reunion “a very, very joyful, happy and proud moment,” noting that the two have consistently pushed each other to build bigger and more ambitious projects with each collaboration.

The film is directed by Kanishk Varma, produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah under Sunshine Pictures, and co-produced by Aashin A. Shah.

The international creature and action team

Part of what’s generating buzz around Samuk is the level of international talent involved:

Alec Gillis, a renowned Hollywood creature designer, has designed the film’s central alien creature. Gillis has praised Akshay Kumar’s on-screen presence, comparing his physicality to Jason Statham and his likability to Tom Cruise, and said his goal was to design a creature whose screen presence could genuinely match the actor’s.
Luke Tumber, a British action director with credits including the Mission: Impossible franchise and Star Wars, is overseeing the film’s action sequences.

The makers have also emphasized a preference for practical filmmaking over heavy VFX, aiming for extensive real-world creature and stunt work rather than relying primarily on digital effects.

When is it releasing?

Samuk is currently planned for a 2027 theatrical release, positioned as a large-scale pan-India release with international production ambitions. Further details on the full cast, storyline, and exact release date are expected as the shoot progresses.

Why this project stands out

Alien-driven survival thrillers are essentially untested territory in mainstream Indian cinema, and pairing that genre with a star of Akshay Kumar’s scale — combined with genuine Hollywood-level creature and stunt talent — makes Samuk one of the more unusual bets in Bollywood’s upcoming slate. Whether it becomes a genre-defining moment or a risky experiment, it’s shaping up to be one of the more closely watched productions heading into 2027.

We’ll be tracking updates as the London shoot continues — check back for more details on Samuk.

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