Salman Khan holds up Dubai Metro by an hour

Salman Khan’s Eid release, Dabangg, is the first film to be shot in the Dubai Metro. The shoot was planned for a Friday since that’s the Emirate’s official holiday and trains don’t start before 1 pm. “But the shooting spilled over by an hour,” says director Abhinav Kashyap. “And since there are only two tracks, the trains lined up behind ours were held up and the station was out-of-bounds till 2 pm.”

Special pass
Fortunately, the chaos outside, did not spill over inside. A couple of days later, a few cast and crew members, armed with special passes, shot in Abu Dhabi’s Emirates Palace, one of the most opulent hotels in the world, before venturing into the desert.

Salman was fitted with a Sheikh’s headgear and even got a falcon to perch on his hand there. “This bird of prey can be trained to sit on your hand, but once it flies away, it’s difficult to lure it back. Our falcon was kept hungry for a day and tempted back with fresh meat,” says Kashyap.

“The desert was actually quite pleasant. Before and after the shots, we’d go off on rides in the buggies we had carted along.” Khan plays a corrupt cop from UP in the film. Since Sonakshi Sinha and he are on their honeymoon, says the writer-director, the jaunts in Dubai are justified.