Ali Abbas Zafar recently posted a picture of a signboard on his Instagram that reads, Islamabad 322, Lahore 22 and Indo-Pak border 2 (km) and captioned it, “Bharat, location, scout”. Now, we have learnt that Bharat starring Salman Khan in the lead role is set to go on floors in Punjab next month, where they will be shooting the Partition scenes. A production source revealed to us that the director has scouted 45 villages in the heartland of the state for a 15-day shoot in a bid to recreate this heartbreaking historic event.
A source says, “The idea is to make the most significant event of our country extremely real. The set will transport the audiences to the times of the Partition. Ali and his team went scouting in 45 villages in Punjab to lock the exact location where Salman will film these scenes. Kila Raipur, Gujjarwal, Bilga and Ghungrana are some of the villages where they have done a recce so far. He is yet to decide on the village that will be the starting point of Bharat’s Punjab schedule.” In an earlier interview to this paper, Ali had said, “The original steam engines will be used for this shoot along with art, costumes, and nuances, which will give the feel of that era.”
Bharat shows the journey of India seen through the eyes of the central character. The film’s plot begins in the 1940s and spans over 70 years to the present date. Ali, who teams up with Salman again after Sultan and Tiger Zinda Hai, will show the superstar’s character witnessing the most dramatic chapters of Indian history.
Salman will be sporting five different looks in the film, which is an adaptation of the Korean film, Ode to My Father. Ali confirms, “We are currently doing a recce. Yes, we are in Punjab to look at shooting locations for key portions of the film.”
