Film & Cinema | Movie News

Salman Khan back in the UAE

Ahead of his National Day concert, Khan returns to Dubai for a song

By Manjusha Radhakrishnan, Senior Reporter
Published: 16:41 November 19, 2012

Image Credit: AFP
Indian Bollywood actor Salman Khan arrives to visit ailing right-wing Hindu party Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray in Mumbai on November 15, 2012. Mumbai police stepped up security November 15 to prevent any unrest as Indian firebrand politician Bal Thackeray was reported to be in critical condition at his home in the city. Large crowds of supporters gathered overnight outside the residence of the 86-year-old, who founded the right-wing Hindu party Shiv Sena and is widely accused of stoking ethnic and religious violence.

In the blockbuster Dabangg, Salman Khan chose Dubai as the perfect honeymoon destination to impress his villager wife Sonakshi Sinha. His affair with the UAE hasn’t ended.

He’s back with a bang (no pun intended). This time around, Khan is in Dubai to celebrate his on-screen birthday.

The 46-year-old matinee idol was spotted at the popular cafe Shakespeare & Co in Jumeirah on Sunday, putting in a hard day’s work.

You might wonder why Khan’s on-screen avatar Chulbul Pandey, a cheerfully corrupt cop from Bihar, is ringing in his birthday at a kid-friendly vintage cafe shop?

Our guess? It happens only in Bollywood.

Filming for Dabbangg 2 wraps with the end of the celebratory birthday song sequence in Dubai, after which the film goes into post-production.

In the original, Dubai was showcased in all its splendour.

“We are not going around trees any more, now we are doing it around trains,” quipped Khan about shooting a song sequence in the Dubai metro in May 2010. The first film was one of the highest grossers of 2010 and brought Khan into the coveted Rs100-crore club. Though the cast from the original has been retained, there’s been a change in directors. Khan’s brother Arbaaz - who co-produced the original - has taken over the directorial reins from Abhinav Kashyap.

When tabloid! spoke to Sohail Khan last year he was in the process of convincing his brother Arbaaz to shoot a song sequence in Dubai, calling the city a shooting-friendly haven.

“I think it’s one of the world’s most film-friendly countries. In terms of hotels and shooting locations, the options are plenty ... Dubai is a lucky mascot for me,” said Sohail.

Dabbangg 2 is slated to release in the UAE on December 20.

Before you see him set the silver screen on fire, Salman Khan is all set to enthrall his UAE fans with a live song and dance performance on December 2 at Dubai Festival City in a concert called Ahlan Dubai.

Organised by Creative Hub Events, the spectacle, which will also feature Priyanka Chopra and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, celebrates UAE National Day.

“As the UAE National Day is one of the biggest events in the country’s calendar, we thought of bringing this remarkable ensemble to enthrall the audience in Dubai. The event is our attempt to salute a nation that has rich history, culture and achievements and is being organised under the theme of ’Spirit of the Union’ that binds the cosmopolitan community of the UAE, while connecting it under one banner,” said Raj Sahni, chairman of Creative Hub Events in a statement. Tickets, Dh180, Dh300, Dh500, Dh1,500 and Dh4,000, are available at Enoc, Eppco and Zoom.

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Comments (1)

Added 13:29 November 20, 2012

Salam ,u are a great personality.No doubt about it.Allah always gives u success .Once in a life time I want to meet u.Iam a cancer patient surviving in Dubai. My daughter birthday is on 3 dec. She is very big fan of urs Pls respond my mail. i want to give her surprise on her birthday. I will be highly obliged to u . If u get time.

Farahdeeba, Dubai, United Arab Emirates