Salman goes to Buckingham palace

By: Prithwish Ganguly - DNA 21st Dec

CONFUSED? But it’s true. Salman Khan’s forthcoming film Veer has received the rare distinction of becoming the first Bollywood movie to be shot in the premises of Buckingham Palace that is home to Queen Elizabeth II.

After Hrs has learnt that the makers of the movie had to cough up around 50,000 pounds (approx Rs 38 lakh) for just four hours of shoot as that was the maximum time the authorities there would allow a film crew. Before this, only a handful of Hollywood movies have managed permission to shoot at the Queen of England’s official residence. “It took us around three months of persistent follow-ups with UK officials to get the permission. Luckily for us, they accepted our request and since the Queen was out of the city on that day, things fell into place,” reveals producer Vijay Galani.

What created a little bit of history for the producers of this period film themselves was the fact that for the first time ever, all roads leading to Buckingham Palace were blocked to keep away traffic and onlookers.

“Never before have the roads near Buckingham Palace been cordoned off for a movie shoot,” adds Galani. “We wanted to show a period setting and recreate that look – people wearing clothes prevalent in the 19th century, horse carriages, etal. That was the difficult part. The London traffic controllers only allowed us time between 6 am to 10 am. Our crew reached as early as 3 in the morning to set up the shoot and thankfully everything was on schedule. We had to paint signboards near Buckingham and remove all modern fixtures within the frames to make it authentic. Of course we restored everything after the shoot.”

After Hrs managed to get in touch with the man himself to talk about the experience. “It felt great,” enthused Salman. “I have always been fascinated about shooting at real castles and places of heritage. I had earlier done a bit for Vipul Shah’s London Dreams. The England shoot for Veer was amazing. I did not believe we could do the things we managed to right in the heart of London. Unlike studio recreations, shooting at actual heritage locations completely lifts the scene – it looks rich!” indeed.