Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; May 1, 2017)

In a a couple of days, Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif will fly to Abu Dhabi to kick off the shoot of their reunion movie, Tiger Zinda Hai. The Ali Abbas Zafar film will have its longest shooting stint in the Emirates — 65 days — for which a lavish set is being erected. What’s interesting is that the Bollywood unit is putting it together with help from the design crew of Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015).

Construction of a 20,000 square metre back lot has already begun and over 150 workers are deployed on site to create the film’s main shooting area. The team will film at several other locations across the UAE capital before moving to the primary set, we hear.

An insider says, “A team of 300 people is working on the production; it includes Abu Dhabi-based freelancers and crew members from India, the US and the UK. Demonstrating the government’s support for the city’s growing production industry, the UAE military will be providing military equipment, including choppers for the shoot.”

Speaking to mid-day, director Ali Abbas Zafar says, “A film like Tiger Zinda Hai requires [to be made on] a certain scale, which we found in Abu Dhabi. Keeping all practical measures in mind, the kind of support that we have got from them in terms of infrastructure is phenomenal. That, along with some stunning real locations, makes shooting in Abu Dhabi special.”

A sequel to Kabir Khan-directed Ek Tha Tiger (2012), the thriller will chronicle the lead pair’s adventures across exotic locations. A song and action sequence were shot in the pristine locales of Austria last month.

Subhash K Jha (DNA; January 1, 2016)

It looks like the ‘Force’ has not awakened fully in these parts. The latest instalment of the Star Wars franchise has performed disappointingly at the Indian box-office. Though Star Wars: The Force Awakens has crossed the billion-dollar mark worldwide, in India the film was out-performed by the two Hindi films this season, Rohit Shetty’s Dilwale and Sanjay Bhansali’s Bajirao Mastani.

Says a reliable source from a leading multiplex chain, “Star Wars has definitely not been up to the mark. Disney thought the film would be a craze and released 1,200 prints across the country. This was a big mistake. We had no more occupancy than 50-55 percent.”

Says another source from another multiplex, “The film has only managed to make Rs 14-15 crores at the box-office this weekend including all languages. This is far behind the first weekend collection of big Hollywood franchise movies this year like Fast & Furious 7, which collected around Rs 70 crores during the first weekend, Avengers which did approximately Rs 48 crores during the opening weekend and Jurassic World which crossed Rs 49 crores in the opening weekend.”

Anand Vishal, Head of Sales at Inox, says, “The collections of Star Wars are just about okay. It is below expectations.”

When asked to share box office figures of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Disney India did not revert.

Aamir Khan, an avid Star Wars fan, didn’t think twice before confirming his presence for the premiere of the franchise’s latest instalment
Anirban Das (MID-DAY; December 23, 2015)

Hollywood's legendary space opera Star Wars commands a large following across generations of cinephiles, including those belonging to the glamour industry. Actor-producer Aamir Khan is a loyal fan of the franchise and we hear he was so excited about attending the Mumbai premiere of its latest instalment that he completed his shooting assignment in Pune just in time.

Says a source, “Aamir was busy shooting for Nitesh Tiwari’s Dangal in Pune when he was informed about the premiere, but he immediately agreed to be part of it. He is a big fan of Star Wars and is looking forward to the preview. He wrapped up the schedule on Monday and took a flight home yesterday.”

On several occasions in the past, we have seen Aamir sporting the Yoda T-shirts. He had even gifted his nephew Imran Khan a lightsaber (Yoda’s iconic weapon). “Both mamujaan and his bhanja will attend the premiere. Aamir will be escorted on to the red carpet by Stormtroopers,” adds the source.

The production company releasing the Star Wars movie in India confirmed Aamir’s presence at the screening. Imran, too, shared his excitement, saying, “I am looking forward to the premiere. I have always been a huge Star Wars fan and have even collected memorabilia of the films. Aamir has also gifted me a lightsaber in the past.”