Salman Khan movie films Abu Dhabi as Iraq
Bollywood actor Salman Khan’s action movie Tiger Zinda Hai built a special set to recreate Iraq in Abu Dhabi and got extensive support from the UAE’s armed forces.
By Nick Goundry 29 Nov 2017
Bollywood actor Salman Khan’s action movie Tiger Zinda Hai built a special set to recreate Iraq in Abu Dhabi and got extensive support from the UAE’s armed forces.
Producers built an expansive set on a back lot at Abu Dhabi’s Khalifa Industrial Zone for scenes set in Iraq. The UAE’s armed forces supplied trucks, helicopters, tanks and personnel for the shoot.
The production was filmed over 70 days using international crew from countries including India, the US and the UK. In addition, Liwa became a key filming location on the northern edge of the Rub’ Al Khali desert, which translates to ‘The Empty Quarter’.
“Liwa has the highest sand dunes in the world,” said Ali Abbas Zafar, the film’s director. “Tiger Zinda Hai required a certain scale of desert in the film and Liwa provided that.
“Temperatures were soaring and as we shot action sequences with a moving car here, the conditions were extremely challenging. But the unit stood by our vision and the local crew at Abu Dhabi was also very supportive. We achieved that which we set out to do.”
The movie secured financial support from Abu Dhabi’s formal filming incentive programme, which in recent years has also helped secure Hollywood productions such as Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
See KFTV's production guide for more on filming in the UAE.
Image: iStock.com/anzeletti
The production was filmed over 70 days using international crew from countries including India, the US and the UK. In addition, Liwa became a key filming location on the northern edge of the Rub’ Al Khali desert, which translates to ‘The Empty Quarter’.
“Liwa has the highest sand dunes in the world,” said Ali Abbas Zafar, the film’s director. “Tiger Zinda Hai required a certain scale of desert in the film and Liwa provided that.
“Temperatures were soaring and as we shot action sequences with a moving car here, the conditions were extremely challenging. But the unit stood by our vision and the local crew at Abu Dhabi was also very supportive. We achieved that which we set out to do.”
The movie secured financial support from Abu Dhabi’s formal filming incentive programme, which in recent years has also helped secure Hollywood productions such as Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
See KFTV's production guide for more on filming in the UAE.
Image: iStock.com/anzeletti
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