The BTS of Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, now made public but first screened for the media contingent which had been invited to Jordan almost a fortnight back by the film’s producers and the Jordan tourism ministry, underlines the emphasis on real action in the film. The captain of the ship, director Ali Abbas Zafar, wanted the action in the film to be real — he was decided about that when he took up the directorial reins of the film after Jackky Bhagnani made him the offer. Hero Akshay Kumar got excited with the project more because he would get to do real action in the double-hero film. As for Tiger Shroff, we all know how fond he is of death-defying stunts and so it goes without saying that the offer of BMCM with real action must’ve activated his adrenaline glands.
The unit of the film was in Jordan for ten days to picturise four songs. Having completed the shooting of the entire talkie and action portion, this was all that remained to complete the film. To say that the locations on which the songs were picturised were heavenly would be to state the obvious. On 1st February, the very last day of shooting, the location was Vaadi Rum in Jordan, which had mountains all around and sand as far as the eyes could see. The cold wintry winds may have made us shiver and our teeth chatter but seeing Akshay, Tiger and the dancers so scantily dressed was unbelievable. Besides making us (the media persons) feel guilty, thanks to our several layers of clothing to brave the cold, it also made us marvel at the dedication of those facing the cameras for the song-dance which was being picturised. Bosco-Caesar were in command along with Ali Abbas Zafar. One shot required Akshay and Tiger to wave their scarves at the lens of the camera which was kept at ground level. A couple of retakes… and the shot was okayed. This was the last but one shot of the day. For the very final shot of the film, a change of location was required. Given the tough terrain on the one hand and the grace of the two actor-dancers on the other, it was clear that the shifting would take more time than the shot to be taken.
The entire shooting was wrapped up with the picturisation of the last shot of the song. That called for a wrap-up party and that’s exactly what producers Vashu Bhagnani, Jackky Bhagnani, Ali Abbas Zafar and Himanshu Mehra did soon after returning to the warmth of their hotel rooms — they threw a party to celebrate the completion of the film. It was also their way of thanking the media for having come to Jordan to cover the shooting. It was at this party that the BTS video was screened for members of the fourth estate. Wow! Some of the behind-the-scenes footage left the media members open-mouthed for the sheer scale of the film and the dare-devilry of the actors in the real action and stunt scenes. Whatever Vashu does, he does on a grand scale — and that included inviting the media to Jordan. For, there were 52 media persons in all!
Talking about the film’s title, Ali Abbas Zafar informs us that except for the title, the film has no other similarity to the Amitabh-Govinda starrer of the same name, which was also produced by Vashu Bhagnani (in 1988). Jackky adds, “When you watch the film, you will realise the aptness of the title. In fact, there couldn’t have been a more appropriate title.” However, it must be added that the producers and director have a tough task ahead of them as they would have to educate the public about the fact that their film is neither a remake of the 1988 film of the same name nor a sequel. Given the exactly same title of the two films, the public is apt to believe that the new film would either be a modernised version of the 1980s’ film or part two in the series. However, the fact is that the old BMCM abounded in comedy while the new BMCM lays emphasis on action. The audience coming into the cinemas to watch the new film should definitely be educated about this dichotomy beforehand because it would be risky to let them assume that they were going to watch a comedy or a remake or a sequel and then discover in the cinema hall that the film is neither of the three. It has been proven time and again that hell hath no fury like an audience misinformed.
Bhagnani has spent a fortune on this one. It’s not just a big star-cast (Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Prithviraj Sukumaran, Sonakshi Sinha, Alaya F and Manushi Chillar) but also a big-budgeted film. However, he has hedged his risk partially, by pre-selling the digital, satellite and audio rights of the film much in advance of its release in April this year on the occasion of Eid. Of course, there are also the subsidies he will get from the various countries in which he has shot Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, like the UK and Jordan. “That,” smiles Himanshu Mehra, “is between Vashuji, the country concerned and God.” He is referring to the Sindhi business blood flowing in Vashu’s veins, which makes him get the best deals for his films from whomever and whenever!
While on the topic of subsidies, it must be mentioned here that the Jordanian government is planning to increase the amount of subsidy which it pays to producers shooting their films/serials/series in the country. The added advantage of shooting in Jordan is that the people there are ever-smiling, warm and very helpful. At an enriching and informative interactive session with Muhannad Al Bakri (managing director of the Royal Film Commission of Jordan), Raja Gharghour (executive commissioner at the RFC and chairman of the board of Olivewood Studios in Jordan) and Dr. Abdel Razzaq Arabiyat (managing director of the Jordan Tourism Board) at Amman (the capital of Jordan) on 30th January, the three men explained how producer-friendly their country was and also spoke about why it would make a lot of economic sense too for producers to shoot in Jordan.
A guided tour of Olivewood Studios the next morning underlined one fact: that although Jordan may not be having a robust film industry of its own, it is very serious about having producers from other countries in general and India in particular shooting there, going by the shooting infrastructure they have in place. The studio boasts of huge shooting floors, the latest shooting equipments, spacious make-up rooms, etc.
Coming back to Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, the film’s songs will surely be a visual delight, going by the beautiful locations on which they’ve been shot. One hasn’t heard all the songs as yet but if the producers decided to picturise them in Jordan, braving the extreme cold, there must be reason for it — and that could only be catchy songs with hit music. Of course, besides the wonderful Jordanian locales, the real action scenes would add to the experience of the audience and help make the film a real hit! Touch wood!!