PATNA: Bollywood filmmakers struggling to shoot films in India due to the coronavirus restrictions have been focusing on alternative locations in the Middle East.
Several producers are set to shoot their latest film projects in the region, with the UAE one of their most popular choices.
Among them is one of Indian movie industry megastar Salman Khan’s favorite directors, Ali Abbas Zafar, who has set his sights on Abu Dhabi for his next big-budget action film.
The yet-untitled project will star actress Katrina Kaif in the lead role as a female superhero on the lines of “Wonder Woman,” with action sequences being shot in the UAE capital.
“I’ve found the locations which I needed in Abu Dhabi. This will be my chance to shoot India’s first female superhero films in locations never seen before in an Indian film,” Zafar told Arab News from Dubai.
As the flick’s producer and director, he is currently in the UAE, along with his crew of 20, to prep for the filming process which is due to begin in January.
Zafar, who had worked with Kaif in Bollywood romantic comedy “Mere Brother Ki Dulhan” and action drama “Bharat” prior to this project, said the Middle East was “suffused with potential and possibilities” for film locales and he described Abu Dhabi as “an ideal shooting spot.”
He added: “I am not sure how shoot-friendly other regions in the Middle East are. But Abu Dhabi is very supportive of resources and infrastructure. They welcomed me to shoot my film with open arms.”
Zafar had earlier worked with Khan and Kaif for two months in Istanbul on the action thriller “Tiger Zinda Hai,” but said Abu Dhabi was “a different experience.”
He added: “It is naturally beautiful. You can place your camera anywhere. Besides, they have a very solid, supportive, and reliable team at the ADFC (Abu Dhabi Film Commission).”
In addition to supporting Indian content, the ADFC has also facilitated big-budget Hollywood films in the UAE capital.
Zafar pointed out that this was one reason why the ADFC could manage big crews. He noted that Dubai provided a convenient base where “my crew and I can plan and function without any disturbance.”
The UAE has fared well in limiting the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak. It has a lower caseload and infection rate as compared to Mumbai, in Maharashtra state – where Bollywood is based – which has to date recorded 1.4 million cases and nearly 40,000 deaths.
Indian actor and entrepreneur, Sachiin Joshi, who has a fully functional office in Dubai said that the need for producers to work in a strictly disciplined environment during the pandemic would drive more people to the Gulf and the Middle East in the coming months.
“The work ethics in the Gulf region are extremely high. This is not obtainable in Mumbai. Social distancing and shooting with a skeletal crew are not difficult in Dubai and the Gulf region. It’s a way of life there,” Joshi added.
“The last things Bollywood producers need right now are rowdy crowds and unruly fans during the shooting process. So yes, the exodus out of India to shoot will be substantial in the coming months.” Indian film director, Kabir Khan, who shot his espionage thriller “Phantom” (2017) in Lebanon, said: “The government was very supportive, and the locals love Bollywood. It was a pleasure shooting for ‘Phantom’ in Beirut.”
Several other filmmakers have also taken the decision to move their projects abroad including superstar actor-director Aamir Khan (“Lagaan,” “3 Idiots,” and “P.K.”), who is all set to shoot his underproduction film “Laal Singh Chaddha” at locations across Turkey, and director Ahmed Khan who has slotted “Baaghi 4,” starring Tiger Shroff, for the Middle East.
“I was supposed to shoot ‘Baaghi 3’ in Syria, but we did not get the necessary permissions. So, we shot in Serbia instead, which we passed off as Syria. But I am definitely heading in that direction for the fourth film of the ‘Baaghi’ series,” he said.
