Dunes, dance and that dash of Bollywood

A still from the teaser

Why would the makers of a big-budget tentpole movie, starring Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff, decide to shoot it in the middle of nowhere? That was our first thought when we landed on the set of Bade Miyan Chote Miyan near Wadi Rum in Jordan, on the last day of the shoot. The term ‘in the middle of nowhere' is not being used lightly here - wish we could show you images from the shoot; unfortunately, they are under embargo. But picture this: dramatic clouds against the blue sky, unending desert and rugged mountain ranges as far as the eye can see.

A 250-member unit shot the song in Wadi Rum over seven days under Ali Abbas Zafar's direction

From Mumbai, it took us two flights and a four-hour drive from Amman to reach Wadi Rum. From there, Mohammed, also known as Michael Schumacher, drove us down to the location for another 30 minutes as we battled gusts of cold wind and three degree temperature. Then, there was a trek to the spot where the unit was shooting. Enough to make a fellow scribe joke, "Only Akshay and Tiger are cut out to do this every day." He was right.

Soon, there was respite as we heard some Hindi in the air. Sure enough, we had reached the set - a 250-people unit shooting a song with Kumar, Shroff and leading ladies Manushi Chhillar and Alaya F. On this day, choreographer Bosco Martis was running the set, discussing steps with director Ali Abbas Zafar for the final okay. While we shivered underneath our two jackets, Shroff was practicing his steps shirtless. "I'm loving the warmth of the sun," he told us enthusiastically. This is perhaps the passion that goes behind making an action extravaganza - actors, director and the crew going to any lengths to give you the big-scale feel. The big-screen magic comes at a price.

Though in Jordan, the price is significantly less. In the past few years, the country has been the site of some major productions, including Dennis Villeneuve's Dune (2021) and John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023). Producer Jackky Bhagnani explains that the local crew is trained, cheap and easily available. It's inexpensive to shoot here with the rebates the government offers, even allowing 10 months of shoot without any additional taxes. What lures Zafar though is the stunning visual palette, from the sea to the mountains, from the rustic to the grand.

Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff in Bade Miyan Chote Miyan

After an eight-hour shoot, we all headed to the film's wrap-up party, where we watched the action thriller's making. If the teaser was action-packed, the film promises much more - tanks, a helicopter, some cars being blown up, all of which Jordan has in surplus supplies. The country's military has helped the Royal Film Commission of Jordan maintain replicas and real weaponry from as far as World War I. For the Indian audience, Zafar and Bhagnani have found untapped locations. What helps is the seamless functioning since the locals have an undying love for Hindi movies.

We experienced it first-hand as we headed to Aqaba, Jordan's coastal city, on our last day of the visit. Aqaba is marked by a strange confluence; to its south is Saudi Arabia, to its west Egypt and not too far away is Israel. As we had coffee at a waterfront, the owners played the song, Bole chudiyaan, for us.

Evading talk of how the region has been a hotbed of activity in recent times, they discussed how they can't get enough of Bollywood. A shopkeeper at Petra, which is barely a two-hour ride from Aqaba, even offered us a few freebies since we come from the land of Kareena Kapoor Khan, making us realise that Bollywood is bigger than we think.