As the release date of Mission Mangal approaches, the star cast Akshay Kumar, Vidya Balan and Taapsee Pannu are leaving no stone unturned to promote their film. The trio were snapped at a promotional event at a popular hotel in Juhu, Mumbai. All Pictures/Yogen Shah

For the promotions, Akshay Kumar opted for a blue jumpsuit. It was the Mission Mangal girls that rocked the floor in their respective sarees. Taapsee Pannu looked gorgeous in a blue saree, while Vidya Balan looked beautiful in her golden saree and blue blouse.

Mission Mangal is an inspiring tale based on India's first mission to Mars, accomplished by a team of scientists at India's Space Research Organisation (ISRO). In a recent media interaction, Akshay Kumar spoke in length about his role in the film. He said, "I did not have much knowledge about it. I got to know about it through my director. I learnt a lot from this film. Certain things were eye-openers, like the fact that Mangalyaan cost us just Rs 450 crore, and NASA spent over Rs 6,000 crore [on their mission]. Interestingly, the budget of my film 2.0 was Rs 500 crore. A story like this one should reach more people. I am thankful to the producers for backing this film."

Akshay had an another reason why he chose to do Mission Mangal. He did the film especially for his daughter, Nitara, and children of her age to familiarise them with the incredible true story of India's mission to Mars. He shared a lengthy post on his Twitter account giving details about the movie. "I always wanted to be a part of the film that inspires future generations," he wrote.

Vidya Balan also praised the storyline and said that such real life stories should be celebrated by the society and cinema. The actor, who plays one of the scientists behind the 2013 project said she fell in love with the story the moment director Jagan Shakti and producer R Balki narrated her the script.

Apart from the trio, Mission Mangal stars Sonakshi Sinha, Kriti Kulhari, Nithya Menen, and Sharman Joshi. Presented by Fox Star Studios, Produced by Cape of Good Films, Hope Productions and Fox Star Studios. Mission Mangal releases this Independence day!