Mirror (October 29) was the first to report that Salman Khan and Aayush Sharma are teaming up for a crime drama, Antim, to be directed by Mahesh Manjrekar. It features Aayush as a dreaded gangster and Salman as a cop in hot pursuit. The film went on the floors post Diwali on November 16 in Pune. The makers shot an extensive chase sequence on the busy streets with Aayush and the supporting cast. They then moved to ND Studios in Karjat and on to Mumbai’s western suburb, Versova. After a 20-day schedule with Aayush, Mirror has learnt that Salman has quietly joined the team. He started shooting from December 6 at Mumbai’s Film City.

“Salman plays a no-nonsense Sikh cop who is on a mission to end gang-wars and land mafia in his area of jurisdiction. After wrapping up his action thriller Radhe in October, in which he sports a clean shaven look, he took time off to grow a beard,” revealed a source close to the development, adding that the actor will be wearing a turban too and for the first time in his 30-year-long career, portray a Sardar cop. “There is high security on the sets to ensure that his look does not get leaked. Salman wants to take his fans by surprise.”

The plot traces the metamorphosis of Aayush’s character from a simple villager to the most-wanted gangster, who gets into a conflict with Salman’s cop. “In this schedule, Salman and Aayush will be filming several confrontation scenes. While the cop is a serious guy, there is an underlying tone of dark humour to the character that is Mahesh Manjrekar’s trademark.”

Nikitin Dheer, who has worked with Salman in Ready and Dabangg 2, also features in Antim as a gangster, and has been shooting with Aayush all through the 20-day stint. Salman’s production team have taken precautions and are following all the Covid-19 protocols to the T. “It’s going to be a nonstop shoot through December and they are expected to complete the film by mid-January. However, Salman will take his annual birthday break in the last week of the year.”

After finishing Antim, Salman is expected to shoot for his extended cameo in Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathan, in which he portrays the character of secret agent Tiger. He has allotted 15 days to shoot for the espionage thriller. Right after that, from February, he moves on to the Maneesh Sharma-directed Tiger 3, taking the franchise forward with Katrina Kaif. “He has given bulk dates from February to September for Tiger 3,” the source shared. Meanwhile, Radhe is gearing up for an Eid 2021 opening.