A look at Bollywood and South Indian cinema’s love affair with Dubai's Burj Khalifa

Dubai is the obvious stopover for anyone hoping for bright lights, beautiful skyscrapers and a picture in spots that have made world records. Enter the Burj Khalifa, which at 828 metres is the tallest building on the planet! Just as people from the world over are stunned by its sights, Dubai has also become the ‘IT’ spot for stars from India. Telugu star Allu Arjun headed here to celebrate his little princess’ birthday and even Bollywood heart-throb Hrithik Roshan was left gawping at the view. Here’s a look at some of our favourite snaps from A-lister Insta accounts.

When South Indian star Kichcha Sudeepa decided to mark 25 years of entertainment in Dubai, he did so in a special way – by launching a 180-second teaser to his much-anticipated film ‘Vikrant Rona’ at the Burj Khalifa. The movie is one of the few big budget movies to come out of South India.

Shah Rukh Khan, who is a regular in Dubai, shot an action sequence at Downtown Dubai – including a stint at the Burj -for his movie, ‘Pathan’. to film an action sequence at Burj Khalifa for ‘Pathan’?

Telugu star Allu Arjun recently marked the birthday of his four-year-old daughter, Arha, in Dubai – at the Burj Khalifa. The party, on Sunday, saw his wife, Sneha Reddy, and son, Ayan, celebrating the kid’s big day. Arjun posted photos from the bash and tweeted on the happy occasion. “Happy Birthday My Lil Princess. I love sooo muchhh na chinna baby. May this year be filled with lots n lots of Colouring, Drawing & Travelling [sic],” wrote the actor.

The visuals of an Indian movie flashed on the Burj Khalifa’s façade this month. Dulquer Salmaan’s ‘Kurup’ splashed across the glassy exterior and Salmaan immortalized the moment with a shot and a caption that read: ““#Kurup lights up Burj Khalifa !!! This is a huge moment for me, for the hundreds of people behind the film #Kurup and for the amazing team behind Wayfarer Films and M Star Entertainment. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine, a trailer of a film of mine let alone my name, playing on the iconic Burj Khalifa. A huge thanks to the people who made this possible.”

When Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan saw the views offered from the observation deck in this building, he called it a breathtaking sight. Roshan was seen arriving at Burj Khalifa in a Rolls-Royce before heading up there.

This has been a year of firsts for the Burj Khalifa – it lit up for the release of the Tamil movie ‘Navarasa’ in August. The project was special – the cast and crew filmed it for free and profits were to be given to Film Employees Federation of South India who were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic – and so perhaps that’s why the treatment was too.

The song ‘Burj Khalifa’, was also a star of a music video. Starring Akshay Kumar and Kiara Advani, from the movie ‘Laxmmi Bomb’ a peppy number full of costume changes and stunning backdrops saw the pair romancing in and around Dubai. Shot in Dubai, The upbeat party number went on to be one of the biggest party anthems of the year 2020.