How brutal cold of Austria played havoc with Salman Khan's health

Director Ali Abbas Zafar knew that shooting for an ambitious film like Tiger Zinda Hai would be a challenge unto itself, given that the sequel to the 2012 hit, Ek Tha Tiger, had to be shot across five countries - Austria, Greece, Morocco, UAE and India. However, the film's Austria schedule turned out to be particularly challenging for Salman Khan. The superstar suffers from trigeminal neuralgia, a facial nerve disorder that results in episodes of shock-like pain that lasts for seconds to a few minutes. The condition gets aggravated in extreme cold or heat.

Salman Khan

Khan suffered excruciating pain on his face while shooting in the biting cold of Austria, where the temperature had dropped to -2 degree C. The actor, we hear, was running high fever but refused to be laid up, lest it delay the tight schedule.

Ali Abbas Zafar with Katrina Kaif and Salman Khan in Austria

Says a unit hand, "We had to shoot a chunk of action sequences on the snow-covered mountains of Tyrol. Despite the brutal weather conditions playing havoc with his health, Salman continued with his shots. Not once did anyone hear a single complaint from him." Zafar says that while the daredevil stunts were tricky to begin with, matters became worse for Khan given his health condition. "What we see onscreen might look a lot easier than it actually is. A lot of pain has gone behind this sequence. Salman developed a health issue, but he still trained for the shot and delivered a tough action sequence."