Pathan: Making Middle East ready for Badshah Shah Rukh Khan

Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone

Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone can put their feet up, having wrapped up the second schedule of Pathan earlier this week. However, director Siddharth Anand has little time to rest. The filmmaker will head to Dubai to join the 10-member team that has begun a recce for the upcoming schedule. mid-day has heard that the team will spend the next 25 days in the Middle East, scouting for locations where they can shoot high-octane action scenes featuring Khan, Padukone and John Abraham.

"Shah Rukh and Deepika play RAW [Research & Analysis Wing] agents, with Dimple Kapadia slipping into the role of the department's head. The leads filmed emotional scenes during the last two schedules at Yash Raj Studios in Mumbai. Now, the stage is being set for the action scenes, which will be the highlight of the spy thriller.

John Abraham plays the antagonist in the spy thriller

A stylised chase sequence with Shah Rukh and John will be shot in Abu Dhabi. The team started their recce from the UAE capital, where they visited Liwa Oasis and Ferrari World, the first Ferrari-themed park in the world. In Dubai, they will visit the Business Bay, which is the modern financial district. They are also planning an elaborate sequence at the architectural landmark, Meydan Bridge. The site served as a backdrop in Tom Cruise's Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol [2011]," reveals a trade source.

If all goes as planned, the unit will kick off its Middle East schedule in mid-February. Once the locations are finalised, the team will make arrangements to shoot in a bio-bubble. The source adds, "This will be John's first schedule of Pathan; he plays the antagonist."

mid-day reached out to Yash Raj Films, which remained unavailable for comment.