Thugs of Hindostan

Thugs of Hindostan
The image features the film's cast and credits.
Official poster
Directed by Vijay Krishna Acharya
Produced by Aditya Chopra
Screenplay by Vijay Krishna Acharya
Starring Amitabh Bachchan
Aamir Khan
Katrina Kaif
Fatima Sana Shaikh
Lloyd Owen[1]
Music by Songs:
Ajay-Atul
Score:
John Stewart Eduri
Cinematography Manush Nandan
Edited by Ritesh Soni [1]
Production
company
Distributed by Yash Raj Films
Release date
  • 8 November 2018 (2018-11-08)
Country India
Language Hindi
Budget ₹300 crore[2]

Thugs of Hindostan is an upcoming 2018 Indian Hindi-language epic action-adventure film, written and directed by Vijay Krishna Acharya, and produced by Aditya Chopra under his banner Yash Raj Films. The film stars Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Katrina Kaif, Fatima Sana Shaikh and Lloyd Owen in leading roles. Set in 1795, the film follows a band of Thugs led by Khudabaksh Azaad, who aspires to free Hindostan (the Indian subcontinent) from the rule of the expanding British East India Company. Alarmed, British commander John Clive sends a small-time Thug from Awadh, Firangi Mallah, to infiltrate and counter the threat.[3] The soundtrack was composed by Ajay-Atul with lyrics written by Amitabh Bhattacharya.

Produced on a budget of ₹300 crore (US$42 million), Thugs of Hindostan is the most expensive Bollywood film. Initially titled Thug, the film marked the first time Khan and Bachchan featured together as leads, and was the second collaboration between Khan, Acharya and Kaif, after Dhoom 3 (2013). Principal photography commenced on 5 June 2017 in Malta. In October, a dance sequence choreographed by Prabhu Deva and centred on Bachchan and others was filmed. The film was also shot in Thailand and Mehrangarh; it was put on a short hiatus after Bachchan experienced discomfort on set. Filming concluded in March 2018, the final schedule being completed in Rajasthan. Thugs of Hindostan is set to be released during the week of the Diwali[lower-alpha 1] festival, on 8 November 2018.

Premise

The film tells a historical fiction story set in 1795, when the Indian subcontinent was known as Hindustan or Hindostan, where Indian bandits known as Thugs (from the Hindustani word "thug") posed a serious challenge to the expanding British East India Company which ruled over large parts of India.[4] The film follows a band of Thugs led by Khudabaksh Azaad (Amitabh Bachchan), who poses a grave threat to British East India Company as he aspires to free the country from the British. Alarmed, John Clive (Lloyd Owen), a British commander, sends Firangi Mallah (Aamir Khan), a small-time Thug from Awadh, to infiltrate and counter the threat.[3]

Cast

Production

Development

In September 2016, Yash Raj Films' next project titled Thugs of Hindostan was announced, and would feature Aamir Khan and Amitabh Bachchan. The lead actress was not yet finalized at the time.[8] The film was initially titled only Thug; it was set for a release on Diwali in 2018.[9] Hrithik Roshan, who was initially approached with the film's leading role, suggested some changes to the script. The film producer Aditya Chopra agreed; meanwhile, Acharya approached Khan with the script, who agreed to do the film with no changes to the storyline.[10] Later, in November 2016, Khan also requested that the script be reworked, particularly the character of the leading actress, and put the project on hold.[11] Meanwhile, he grew his hair and beard for his look in the film.[12]

By February 2017, Khan had prepared his look for the film.[13] In the same month, Shraddha Kapoor gave a costume look test and audition for the film.[14] In March 2017, it was reported that Khan suggested Fatima Sana Shaikh's name for a role in the film; while denying rumours of casting, Sheikh expressed her eagerness to work in the project.[15] In May 2017, Shaikh was confirmed to play a role in the film, with her audition look being revealed.[16] She replaced Kapoor.[17] Kaif was confirmed to star in the film on Yash Raj Films' official website.[17] Khan, Bachchan and Acharya met during the month of May to discuss script changes.[18] In June 2017, Khan denied rumours of Thugs of Hindostan being inspired by Pirates of the Caribbean, stating they are both simply action-adventure productions.[19]

Thugs of Hindostan is Khan's second time collaborating with Vijay Krishna Acharya and Katrina Kaif, after Dhoom 3 (2013).[20] It also marked the first collaboration between Khan and Bachchan.[21] Bachchan and Khan were supposed to star together in the Indra Kumar-directorial Rishta, planned during the late 1990s, but the project was shelved.[22] Besides Roshan, Jackie Shroff, Alia Bhatt, and Deepika Padukone were to be a part of the film, but turned down the role.[23][6] Contrary to initial reports, the film is not based on Philip Meadows Taylor's 1839 novel Confessions of a Thug; the film tells a fictional story based on historical events. Acharya links the misunderstanding to the word thug appearing in both works.[22] For his look, Khan also underwent permanent ear and nose piercing.[24]

In making Thugs of Hindostan, Acharya wanted to give a twist to period drama films and thus made what he considered "an irreverent film which has a chapter that is not very noble".[22] He made the film a visual "spectacle", considering the difficulty in bringing audiences to theatres.[22] Khan said his character was someone "who cannot be trusted at all – [so it's the] very opposite of Dangal … He's a very slippery character. He has no scruples at all – for money he can sell his mother out. He's like that."[25] Kaif said that she does not have much action to do in the film, compared to her previous action roles, in particular Tiger Zinda Hai (2017).[26] Bachchan wore iron armour for playing his character, the second time he did so after his 1988 film Shahenshah.[27] In addition, he also wore a pagri, grew long hair and learned sword-fighting.[22] Most of Bachchan's action sequences were situated in rainy settings.[22]

Filming

Thugs of Hindostan's production budget is ₹3 billion (US$42 million), making it the most expensive Bollywood film.[2] It was initially planned to be produced on a budget of ₹900 million, but the budget was overshot while filming.[28] Filming commenced on 5 June 2017 in Malta.[21] Two ships were constructed in Malta for the purpose of filming; shooting was heavily guarded to prevent leaks from sets.[29] The ships were built by over 1000 people working together and weighed 200,000 kg each.[30] By 28 June 2017, Bachchan finished filming his first schedule in Malta.[31] In middle July, Khan took a break from filming and went on a vacation to Italy.[32]

Mehrangarh Fort, situated in Rajasthan, where a large portion of sequences were filmed.

Chopra, who was not impressed with the film's action sequences filmed in Malta, had them filmed again in Yash Raj Films' studio.[33] It was reported that busy with filming for Thugs of Hindostan, Khan would be unable to promote his film Secret Superstar (2017) properly.[34] However, in October 2017, Khan took a break from filming to promote his film.[35] In August 2017, Bachchan fractured his rib cage while shooting, but had to continue filming since the schedule was tight.[35] The film's dance sequence, which featured Bachchan, among others, and choreographed by Prabhu Deva was filmed in October 2017.[36]

When filming was not taking place, the cast, along with the crew, wore face masks to avoid contracting common cold.[37] In September 2017, photographers of the Filmfare magazine captured Khan while filming, and leaked his look.[38] An upset Khan increased security surveillance on film sets.[39] The same month, Bachchan's look was also leaked online.[40] Khan stated that "this shouldn't have happened" and it foiled plans for later look releases.[41] Filming also took place in Thailand, from 6 December 2017.[42] The schedule was wrapped up on 26 December 2017.[43]

Some sequences were also shot in Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur.[44] After Bachchan experienced discomfort on set, a team of doctors visited him in Jodhpur. His wife, Jaya Bachchan stated that his heavy costumes hurt his back and neck.[45] The stunts aggravated his pre-existing neck and shoulder pain, which was a result of past injuries from stunts he did for filming in the 1970-80s.[46] Bachchan stated that he was back to normal.[47] The film's shooting was put on a short hiatus as a result of his injury.[48] He resumed filming on 13 March 2018.[49][50] The film's climax sequence was filmed in Jodhpur, Rajasthan in late March 2018.[51][52]

Music

Thugs of Hindostan
Soundtrack album by Ajay−Atul
Released 2018
Genre Feature film soundtrack
Label YRF Music
Producer Ajay−Atul
Ajay−Atul chronology
Dhadak
(2018)		 Thugs of Hindostan
(2018)		 Zero
(2018)

The soundtrack was composed by Ajay−Atul, with background score by John Stewart Eduri and lyrics by Amitabh Bhattacharya.[1] Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy were originally supposed to compose the soundtrack, but were unable to complete their work before the new deadline after the film was reshot, and new tracks were demanded.[53]

Marketing and release

Thugs of Hindostan is scheduled to be released in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu with 3D and IMAX formats.[54] The Yash Raj Films's marketing team began their promotion of the film on Monday, 17 September 2018: an official logo and title card was revealed on their YouTube channel.[55] The following day, a motion poster of Khudabaksh, the commanding thug played by Bachchan, was released.[56] This was the first of a systematic marketing campaign that introduced the film's characters to the general public consistently throughout the week, using motion posters. On 19 September, the second character to be revealed was the archer Zafira, played by Shaikh.[57] John Clive, played by Owen, a ruthless British leader, was revealed on 20th September.[58] Suraiyya, a dancer played by Kaif, was displayed on 21 September.[59] 3 days later, the poster of Firangi, played by Khan, who was an eccentric-looking, donkey-riding thug, was revealed.[60]

On 26 September, Khan and Bachchan released a promotional video which featured them speaking in Telugu and Tamil, urging native audiences to watch the film.[6] On 27 September, Yash Raj Films' founder Yash Chopra's 86th birthday, the film's trailer was released on YouTube.[61] The trailer launch was held in Carnival Cinemas, Wadala, Mumbai, on India’s biggest IMAX screen, along with the presence of the film's cast.[62] The trailer crossed 30 million views on YouTube on the first day,[3] and crossed 32 million views across digital social media platforms in 24 hours.[63] Dubbed versions were also launched in Tamil by Kamal Haasan and in Telugu by S. S. Rajamouli.[64] It is set to be released in India during the week of the Diwali[lower-alpha 1] festival, on 8 November 2018.[65][3] There are also plans to release the film in China, where Khan's previous films were successful, including 3 Idiots (2009), PK (2014), Dangal (2016) and Secret Superstar (2017).[66]

On 8 October, a five minute behind-the-scenes video which details the film's ship-construction process in Malta, titled "Chapter 1: Building the Ships," was posted on Yash Raj Films' YouTube channel.[67] The following day, another making video was released, which mentioned the process that went into filming on the constructed ships, titled "Chapter 2: Shooting on the Ships".[68] On 10 October 2018, a third making video titled "Chapter 3: Destroying the Ship" was released, when one of the constructed ships had to be destroyed for a one-take shot.[69] The film’s second still poster was released on 13 October.[70]

Notes

  1. 1 2 Diwali is a five-day Hindu festival which falls between mid-October and mid-November.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Thugs Of Hindostan, Yash Raj Films, retrieved 27 September 2018
  2. 1 2 "Thugs of Hindostan logo and release date out". Hindustan Times. 17 September 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Thugs Of Hindostan - Official Trailer: Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Katrina Kaif, Fatima. Yash Raj Films. 27 September 2018 – via YouTube.
  4. ↑ "Thugs of Hindostan trailer: Aamir Khan, Amitabh Bachchan battle it out in this CGI fest. Watch video". Hindustan Times. 27 September 2018.
  5. ↑ "Thugs of Hindostan actor Mohammed Zeeshan Ayub: It is a grand period film". The Indian Express. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Aamir and Amitabh speak in Tamil and Telugu to promote 'Thugs of Hindostan'". The News Minute. 26 September 2018. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  7. ↑ "Amitabh Bachchan And Aamir Khan Starrer 'Thugs Of Hindostan' Gets A Release Date - Republic World". Republic World. Retrieved 2018-09-26.
  8. ↑ "Confirmed: Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan team up for Thugs of Hindostan". The Indian Express. 6 September 2016. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  9. ↑ "Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan starrer Thugs of Hindostan set for Diwali 2018 release". Firstpost.com. 7 September 2016. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  10. ↑ "Clueless Hrithik Roshan dropped from Thugs of Hindostan". Deccan Chronicle. 30 September 2016. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  11. ↑ K. Jha, Subhash (27 November 2016). "Aamir Khan wants Thugs of Hindostan script reworked". The Asian Age. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  12. ↑ "Aamir Khan to grow beard, hair for Thugs of Hindostan". The Indian Express. 29 November 2016. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  13. ↑ "Aamir Khan's Thugs of Hindostan look is out and we're shocked again!". The Indian Express. 10 February 2017. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  14. ↑ Rathod, Kinnari. "Shraddha Kapoor gives a look test for Thugs Of Hindostan". Filmfare.com. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  15. ↑ "Fatima Sana Shaikh on Aamir Khan's Thugs of Hindostan: I am not part of the film". Hindustan Times. 13 March 2017. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  16. ↑ "Fatima Sana Shaikh joins Aamir Khan for Thugs of Hindostan". Hindustan Times. 5 May 2017. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  17. 1 2 "Katrina Kaif and Fatima beat Shraddha Kapoor in getting Thugs of Hindostan?". Catch News. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  18. ↑ "Thugs of Hindostan: Aamir Khan, Amitabh Bachchan are reading script and we wonder what they're discussing. See photo". The Indian Express. 18 May 2017. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  19. ↑ "Thugs Of Hindostan is not inspired by Pirates of Carribean: Aamir Khan". Hindustan Times. 21 May 2017. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  20. ↑ "Amitabh Bachchan's leaked look from Thugs Of Hindostan is fierce & extremely intimidating". Times Now. 27 September 2017.
  21. 1 2 "Aamir Khan Speaks About Sharing Screen Space With Amitabh Bachchan In 'Thugs Of Hindostan'". Mid Day. 30 May 2017. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  22. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Ganapathy Raman, Sruthi (27 September 2018). "'Something not attempted before': Team 'Thugs of Hindostan' on making an irreverent period drama". Scroll.in. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  23. ↑ "Oh no! Jackie Shroff let go of Aamir Khan's Thugs Of Hindostan for this movie?". Deccanchronicle.com/. 2018-03-07. Retrieved 2018-03-07.
  24. ↑ "Ear and nose piercing: Aamir Khan goes through a 'painful' transformation for Thugs of Hindostan". Hindustantimes.com. 26 June 2017. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  25. ↑ "Bollywood icon Aamir Khan talks Secret Superstar, his Chinese following and being 'India's conscience' in Hong Kong interview". South China Morning Post. 16 April 2018. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  26. ↑ "Katrina Kaif has lesser action to do in Thugs Of Hindostan". The Asian Age. 29 September 2018. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  27. ↑ "Amitabh Bachchan upset with Vijay Krishna Acharya for Thugs Of Hindostan action?". Deccan Chronicle. 28 September 2018. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  28. ↑ "Thugs Of Hindostan goes over-budget, becomes most expensive Yash Raj Film ever". Bollywood Hungama. 3 November 2017. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
  29. ↑ "Aamir, Katrina to start shoot in Malta on specially built ships for Thugs of Hindostan". Hindustan Times. 30 May 2017. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  30. ↑ "Aamir Khan's Thugs of Hindostan to be shot on 2 massive ships, took a year to construct sets". Hindustantimes.com. 24 July 2018. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  31. ↑ "Amitabh Bachchan is done with the first schedule of Aamir Khan starrer Thugs Of Hindostan in Malta". Indianexpress.com. 28 June 2017. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  32. ↑ "Aamir Khan is off to Italy with wife Kiran Rao, son Azad Rao Khan taking a break from Thugs of Hindostan shooting. See photos". Indianexpress.com. 20 July 2017. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  33. ↑ "OMG! Aditya Chopra is unhappy with the action scenes shot for Thugs of Hindostan, plans to reshoot". Bollywoodhungama.com. 5 August 2017. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  34. ↑ Sarkar, Suparno. "Aamir Khan to compromise on Secret Superstar's promo for Thugs of Hindostan?". Ibtimes.co.in. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  35. 1 2 "Amitabh Bachchan suffers fracture in rib cage while shooting for 'Thugs Of Hindostan'- News Nation". Newsnation.in. 12 August 2017. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  36. ↑ "Prabhu Deva Choreographs Amitabh Bachchan for a Song". CNN-News18. 29 October 2017.
  37. ↑ "Amitabh Bachchan: I'm shooting day and night for Thugs Of Hindostan". Indianexpress.com. 24 September 2017. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  38. ↑ "Aamir Khan's look in Thugs Of Hindostan leaked". Filmfare.com. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  39. ↑ "Aamir Khan deeply upset over Thugs of Hindostan look leak". Deccanchronicle.com. 24 September 2017. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  40. ↑ "Thugs of Hindostan: Amitabh Bachchan's leaked picture proves the actor is unstoppable". Indianexpress.com. 27 September 2017. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  41. ↑ "Aamir Khan Opens Up About Thugs of Hindostan Look Leak, Says It Shouldn't Have Happened". News18.com. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  42. ↑ "Thugs Of Hindostan: After Mumbai and Malta, Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan and Fatima Sana Shaikh shoot in Thailand". The Indian Express. 6 December 2017.
  43. ↑ "It's a wrap for Aamir, Amitabh's Thugs Of Hindostan in Thailand". Hindustantimes.com. 16 December 2017. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  44. ↑ "Amitabh Bachchan reaches Jodhpur for Thugs of Hindostan shooting. See pics". Hindustan Times. 5 March 2018. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
  45. ↑ Goyal, Divya (14 March 2018). "An Update On Amitabh Bachchan's Viral Thugs Of Hindostan 'Look' And Health". NDTV.com. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
  46. ↑ "Heavy costumes for 'Thugs of Hindostan' take toll on Amitabh Bachchan's health". The Express Tribune. 14 March 2018. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
  47. ↑ "Amitabh Bachchan's health: I am fine, says the Thugs Of Hindostan star". IndiaTVNews.com. Delhi. 14 March 2018. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
  48. ↑ "Amitabh Bachchan to resume 'Thugs Of Hindostan' shoot, gets go-ahead from doctors". DNAIndia.com. 13 March 2018. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
  49. ↑ "Amitabh Bachchan resumes Thugs of Hindostan shoot, tweets illness helped him find out who his 'dear ones' are". hindustantimes.com. 14 March 2018. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
  50. ↑ "From Coolie to Thugs Of Hindostan: When Big B's health left the nation worried". TimesNowNews.com. 13 March 2018. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
  51. ↑ "Aamir Khan and Fatima Sana Shaikh wrap up Thugs of Hindostan in Jodhpur and return to Mumbai". India Today. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
  52. ↑ "Aamir Khan to shoot 'Thugs of Hindostan' climax in Rajasthan | Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis". Daily News and Analysis. 2018-02-22. Retrieved 2018-02-22.
  53. ↑ "Shankar Mahadevan reveals reason behind backing out of Thugs of Hindostan". Hindustantimes.com. 11 October 2017. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  54. ↑ "Aamir Khan announces 'Thugs Of Hindostan' to be released in IMAX theaters worldwide". India TV. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  55. ↑ YRF (2018-09-16), Thugs of Hindostan - Logo | Amitabh Bachchan | Aamir Khan | Katrina Kaif | Fatima Sana Shaikh, retrieved 2018-09-18
  56. ↑ "Thugs of Hindostan Motion Poster Out: Amitabh Bachchan Looks Fierce As Commander Khudabaksh". Headlines Today. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
  57. ↑ "Thugs of Hindostan: Fatima Sana Shaikh's rugged look as Zafira cannot be missed". Indianexpress.com. 19 September 2018.
  58. ↑ "Thugs of Hindostan: British actor Lloyd Owen plays villain John Clive in the epic drama". Indianexpress.com. 20 September 2018.
  59. ↑ "Katrina Kaif is Suraiyya in Thugs of Hindostan, see motion poster". Indianexpress.com. 21 September 2018.
  60. ↑ "Aamir Khan is the perfect blend of mischievous and mysterious in new Thugs of Hindostan motion poster". Indianexpress.com. 24 September 2018.
  61. ↑ "Thugs of Hindostan trailer: Aamir Khan, Amitabh Bachchan and an extravagant fight for azaadi. Watch video". Hindustantimes.com. 27 September 2018.
  62. ↑ "All deets about Thugs Of Hindostan trailer launch to leave you excited". Filmfare.com. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  63. ↑ "Thugs Of Hindostan - 32 Million Views". Facebook. Yash Raj Films. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
  64. ↑ "Thugs of Hindostan: Tamil and Telugu trailers unveiled too, Kamal Haasan and SS Rajamouli do the honours". Times Now. 27 September 2018. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  65. ↑ "Leaked! Aamir Khan looks unrecognisable in his shabby Thugs of Hindostan get-up". Deccan Chronicle. 16 September 2017.
  66. ↑ "Aamir Khan's Thugs of Hindostan set for same-day release in India, China to avoid piracy troubles". Moneycontrol.com. 28 April 2018.
  67. ↑ "Thugs of Hindostan making: Amitabh and Aamir share why they were fascinated by the ships". Indianexpress.com. 9 October 2018. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  68. ↑ "Thugs of Hindostan making video 2: Here's how artificial rain and storm were created on the ships". Indianexpress.com. 10 October 2018. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  69. ↑ "Thugs of Hindostan making video 3: Crew remembers how they had to blow up one ship". 11 October 2018.
  70. ↑ https://www.timesnownews.com/entertainment/news/bollywood-news/article/thugs-of-hindostan-new-poster-amitabh-bachchan-aamir-khan-katrina-kaif-fatima-sana-shaikh-look-epic/298814
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