Is Shah Rukh Khan to film an action sequence at Burj Khalifa for ‘Pathan’?

It looks like there’s a lot more action in store for Shah Rukh Khan’s film in Dubai.

After Gulf News reported earlier this week that the ‘Pathan’ film unit was apparently spotted filming around Downtown Dubai, it is now being said that Khan himself will shoot a daring action sequence at Burj Khalifa.

A report by entertainment portal Pinkvilla quoted a source close to the film production who said the sequence will be nothing Bollywood has seen before.

“The idea is to go one notch above what’s already done so far. Apart from ‘Mission Impossible’ and [the] ‘Fast and Furious’ franchise, not many films have been shot inside Burj Khalifa, and ‘Pathan’ will be among the first few Indian films (probably the first) to have actual visuals of the tower from inside. A big scale action scene centred around Burj Khalifa is in the offing from the team of ‘Pathan’,” the source stated.

Comparisons to Tom Cruise’s ‘Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol’, which saw the Hollywood star suspended outside the glitzy facade of the world’s tallest tower, are a given here.

“It’s a prolonged action sequence designed by an international stunt team, and one can expect spectacular visuals on the screen. It’s a culmination of Siddharth Anand [director], Aditya Chopra [head of production company Yash Raj Films] and Shah Rukh Khan’s vision to shoot a massive action scene at Burj Khalifa,” the source said in the same interview. “Don’t be surprised if you find SRK fighting on the top of the tower just like Tom Cruise, when you watch ‘Pathan’ on the big screen. However, all the details of this Burj Khalifa fight scene have been kept under wraps,” the source added.

While the source cited cars, bikes, and hand-to-hand combat aplenty in this film, this past weekend did see onlookers catch a glimpse of a daring fight sequence on-board a moving vehicle as it hurtled down Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Boulevard.

Gulf News has reached out to Emaar for confirmation.

Meanwhile, Vishal Anand, the visual effects supervisor, who works for Yash Raj Films’ visual effects wing yFX, has also been posting images of a film shoot on his Instagram, which features popular landmarks around Downtown Dubai and Business Bay.

Khan is a frequent visitor to Dubai, while also owning a home on The Palm Jumeirah. While the Bollywood star has featured as a brand ambassador for Dubai Tourism, the actor also spent his 55th birthday celebrating in Downtown Dubai with family and friends.

While good wishes came in from around the world, the Burj Khalifa also honoured the star by displaying his image and a birthday wish on its outer facade. In a corresponding post on Instagram, Khan wrote: “It’s nice to see myself on the biggest and tallest screen in the world. My friend #MohamedAlabbar [managing director of Emaar] has me on the biggest screen even before my next film. Thanks & love u all @burjkhalifa & @emaardubai. Being my own guest in Dubai... my kids mighty impressed and me is loving it!”

Previously, Khan has also filmed ‘Happy New Year’ at Dubai’s Atlantis The Palm.

Khan was also pictured in Dubai last month, posing with social media by Emirati entrepreneur and influencer Anas Bukhash who hosts a YouTube talk show called #ABtalks.

Meanwhile, while there’s talk of Khan’s new film being shot in Dubai, it is also being reported that Cruise is in Abu Dhabi filming for the next instalment in the ‘Mission Impossible’ franchise.