Ali Abbas Zafar

Ali Abbas Zafar: I know expectations are high with Bharat

Mar 152018

Ali Abbas Zafar believes working with Salman has added maturity to his craft as a filmmaker

Ali Abbas Zafar and Salman Khan

Coming off from two back-to-back successes, Ali Abbas Zafar is nervous about the expectations surrounding “Bharat”, his third collaboration with Salman Khan. The director says it is natural for people to expect him and Salman to strike gold after two superhits — Sultan and Tiger Zinda Hai — together. “With ‘Tiger Zinda Hai’ and ‘Sultan’ behind me, I’m more nervous for my next one because I know the expectations and anticipations will be really, really high,” Ali told PTI. The human-drama is a remake of the 2014 South Korean film “Ode To My Father”.

“It is a very different film from ‘Tiger’ and ‘Sultan’. We are trying to do something new with it. It’s too early to talk about it,” he said when prodded about “Bharat”. Ali believes working with Salman has added maturity to his craft as a filmmaker. “People tell me there’s a lot of maturity in my work now. May be that maturity has got to do because I’m working with Salman Khan who has so much experience. “The text that I write kind of compliments (him) and he as a mature actor takes it to another level.”

While today he and the superstar stand as one of the most formidable director-actor duos in Bollywood, Zafar’s first meeting with Salman – some seven-eight years ago – was about everything else but work. “My first ever meeting with him was through Katrina (Kaif). She was there in my first film (‘Mere Brother Ki Dulhan) and we went to his house, somewhere in 2010-2011.

“We just had a very normal, regular conversation. At that point of time I had no idea I am going to make films with him. “He was a huge star and I was just starting my career. We had a nice chat about life and world but not about cinema. He asked me where do I come from, what I want to do.” Talking ahead of the world television premiere of “Tiger Zinda Hai”, scheduled for March 18 on Sony Max, Zafar feels “liberated and uplifted” after the film became a blockbuster.

“Success pushes me to work even more hard. Everything now will create more anticipation, we will have to pull our socks up and work harder to meet those expectations. “But when a film releases and you detach yourself from it, you can see the film more analytically and understand what worked and what didn’t. That is a big learning exercise which always happen when you watch the film three-four months after its release.”

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Salman Khan-starrer Bharat team scouts for locations in London

Celebrities

Mar 012018

London is blanketed by snow, but the team of Bollywood film Bharat is undeterred in scouting for locations to shoot

Ali Abbas Zafar and Salman Khan

London is blanketed by snow, but the team of Bollywood film “Bharat” is undeterred in scouting for locations to shoot. Filmmaker Ali Abbas Zafar on Thursday tweeted a series of photographs from there.

“Snowed down London from ‘beast from the east’, but work on ‘Bharat’ continues. Some pictures of location scout, 200-year-old port,” Zafar captioned the image. Bharat will release on Eid 2019.

The film is an official adaptation of 2014 South Korean film Ode to My Father.

Work begins on #Bharat in freezing london , home for some days , may god bless us all. pic.twitter.com/lpouj8xiz0

— ali abbas zafar (@aliabbaszafar)
February 19, 2018

Snowed down London from “ beast from the east” , but work on #Bharat continues . Some pictures of location scout , 200 year old port. pic.twitter.com/rx95uWEyGb

— ali abbas zafar (@aliabbaszafar)
March 1, 2018

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Box Office: Salman Khan's Tiger Zinda Hai mints Rs 33.75 crore on day 1

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Dec 232017

‘Tiger Zinda Hai’ also starring Katrina Kaif in the lead, earned INR 33.75 crore nett in India as it raced past the previous non-holiday record held by ‘Dhoom 3’

Salman Khan‘s mega action entertainer ‘Tiger Zinda Hai’ has taken a gigantic opening to become the biggest non-holiday opener of all time! Yash Raj Film’s high octane visual spectacle, also starring Katrina Kaif in the lead, earned INR 33.75 crore nett in India as it raced past the previous non-holiday record held by Dhoom 3 (also a Yash Raj Film).

Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif in ‘Tiger Zinda Hai’ poster.

Directed by Ali Abbas Zafar, ‘Tiger Zinda Hai’ has Bollywood’s biggest action hero attempting to take down an army of enemies as he goes on an impossible mission to save nurses held as hostage in war-torn Iraq. The film opened to outstanding reviews from audiences and fans and the business is expected to exponentially grow over the huge Christmas holiday weekend. ‘Tiger Zinda Hai‘ opened to a massive 5,700 screens worldwide, with India Screen Count being a mammoth 4,600.

Commenting on the spectacular opening of the film, director, Ali Abbas Zafar says, “It is an overwhelming and a humbling moment. I thank the audiences for showering so much love on Tiger Zinda Hai. The cast and crew and the entire YRF team have toiled their hearts out and this incredible success will be cherished by all of us. I’m delighted that the film has lived up to the expectations of the fans of India’s biggest action hero Salman Khan and that audiences are enjoying the film across the country and giving us such huge thumbs up.”

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Tiger Zinda Hai: 100 dancers from 4 countries come together for Salman, Katrina

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Nov 162017

After wowing their fans with Mashallah in Ek Tha Tiger five years ago, Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif have reunited for another dance number in their upcoming release, Tiger Zinda Hai. The duo is set to show their swag in Swag Se Swagat, a dance number that will release next week. Besides being a perfect platform for Khan and Kaif to display their crackling chemistry, the high point of the song is that it features 100 dancers from four countries — Greece, France, Italy, Trinidad and Tobago.

Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif in Tiger Zinda Hai

Turns out, dancers of different nationalities were roped in for the Vaibhavi Merchant-choreographed track to drive home the point of diversity, which is the song’s underlying theme. The background dancers are trained in ballerina, hip hop and Afroancehall, each bringing their unique dance form to the song. “Swag Se Swagat is essentially about celebrating peace, love and brotherhood. So we thought why not have Salman, Katrina and dancers from all over the world,” says director Ali Abbas Zafar.

Ali Abbas Zafar

The director reveals that shooting the number in the picturesque island of Naxos in Greece was an experience in itself. The locals were excited at the prospect of having an Indian project being shot in their hometown. “The entire town found out that a big Bollywood film was being filmed in their home turf. Everyone would turn up to check the shoot out. When we would play the song during the takes, the locals too would be dancing on their rooftops, balconies and alleys,” laughs Zafar.

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Katrina Kaif to team up with Salman Khan for 'Bharat'?

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Oct 252017

There is talk that Katrina Kaif will team up with Salman Khan in ‘Bharat’, which is slated to release during Eid 2019. An adaptation of the South Korean film, ‘Ode To My Father’ (2014), it will be directed by Ali Abbas Zafar.

Katrina Kaif

The producer is Sallu’s brother-in-law, Atul Agnihotri. Kat considers Ali her brother. Sallu developed a special bond with him during the shoot of Tiger Zinda Hai. Won’t exactly be a surprise if Kat lands a role in the long-in-the-planning human drama.

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Salman Khan's new film 'Bharat' to release on Eid 2019

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Oct 232017

Bollywood superstar Salman Khan has booked Eid 2019 as the release date of his next film, ‘Bharat’. The 51-year-old star will play the title role in the movie, which will be directed by Ali Abbas Zafar. With ‘Bharat’, the actor is continuing with the trend of releasing his films on Eid. The movie is an official adaptation of 2014 South Korean film, ‘Ode to My Father’, which narrates modern Korean history from the 1950s to the modern day through the life of an ordinary man and events such as the Hungnam Evacuation during the 1950 Korean War.

Salman Khan's new film 'Bharat' to release on Eid 2019
Salman Khan

The film will also depict the government’s decision to dispatch nurses and miners to West Germany in the ’60s and the Vietnam War.

“Bharat” will be backed by Atul Agnihotri, who attended the South Korean film’s screening at Berlin Film Festival, where it was identified as potential content for the Indian masses.

Agnihotri says their adaptation will be inspired by the original movie but the story will be based closer to home.

“It’s the journey of a country and also a person, both of whom go by the name of Bharat. That film is just the starting point for ours but since it was an inspiration, we wanted in all fairness to officially own it and acquired the remake rights before going ahead with Bharat,” he said in a release.

The producer also said Salman was the right choice to play the role of the protagonist, given his long association with his brother-in-law as an actor, producer and director. The actor-producer duo’s film will hit the celluloid on the festive period once again post the blockbuster 2011 “Bodyguard”.

“It’s a character that I thought would resonate with him. It’s a huge responsibility making a film with Salman as there are big expectations that come with the job. I’m very conscious about Salman’s fan base and what they want. And once again, I’m convinced that being a family film it’s worthy of coming during the festive time. And anyway, an Eid release is always every producer’s preferred choice.”

Agnihotri added director Zafar is excited and “passionate” to a part of the project.

“Ali is a friend, I love his work and eventually it’s all about connecting with the source. If you speak to him, you will realise that Ali is far more passionate about the material,” he said.

Salman has worked with Zafar in 2016’s blockbuster “Sultan” and their much-awaited film “Tiger Zinda Hai” up for release on December 22.

“Bharat” will be shot on elaborate sets in Abu Dhabi and Spain, besides Punjab and Delhi in India.

“Casting will be our main agenda over the next three months and since it’s a character-driven story, we will take actors who fit the part,” he added.

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Salman Khan is having sleepless nights in Morocco! Here's why

Celebrities

Jul 192017

Picture courtesy/Salman Khan Twitter account

Salman Khan flew into Morocco for the shoot of Tiger Zinda Hai.

Yesterday, director Ali Abbas Zafar posted a video on Twitter and wrote, “Straight from New York, with no sleep Salman Khan jumps in for horse riding training.”

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Salman Khan Reveals The Plot Of Dabangg 3 And We Cant Wait For The Film To Be Released

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Jun 302017

Salman Khan fans, it’s time to get all cheerful and excited as we have some awesome news for you. Bhaijaan is all set to roll with ‘Dabangg 3′. Well, we are sure many of you can’t wait to see what Chulbul Pandey is upto in this film.

But what if we told you that the actor himself has revealed some exciting details about the plot of the film? Wouldn’t that make your day?

Salman revealed that he will be shooting for ‘Dabangg 3′ while shooting for other films. The actor is busy for the next two-years which means you get to see more of Salman on-screen.

“The script of ‘Dabangg 3′ is ready. It’s going to start during ‘Bharat’, which is Atul and Alvira’s (Agnihotri) film, which Ali Abbas Zafar is directing. That starts after Remo’s film. Atul’s film requires some gaps. So between the schedules for Atul’s film, I will shoot for ‘Dabangg 3′,” revealed Salman to DNA.

Since ‘Dabangg’ released in 2010 it received an overwhelming response from the audience. Chulbhul Pandey’s witty and Ronbinhood avatar left everyone stunned, making it a big hit at the box office. So when they announced the sequel to the film that was released in 2012, it just gave everyone a reason to rejoice. Since then everyone is looking out for the third part. The latest installment of the film will mostly highlight Chulbul’s life before he becomes Robinhood. Well, that’s indeed an interesting take after all every Dabangg fan would love to his story.

However, this part won’t be directed by Arbaaz Khan. “He gets very hyper so we asked him to chill and take rest. He will produce the film this time,” Salman added.

He further briefed, “So it’s Chulbul Pandey now and then — what has gone on in his life before part one and two. The flashback will show how Chulbul Pandey actually became Chulbul Pandey. The remaining part will be about what he’s up to now.”

We totally got to agree that all these details have certainly left us looking out for the film even more!