Locations in Europe: Serbia
Storyline
Director/Producer: Aditya Dhar (Director)/ Ronnie Screwvala (Producer)
Line Producer/Executive Producer/Associate Producer: Alec Conic (Line Producer - Serbia), Sandeep Mahadik, Ashwani Mishra, Rugved Mondkar, Ravi Sarin (Line Producers)
Star(s): Vicky Kaushal
Songs/Dance: India & Serbia
Indian/ International Crew:Sasa Radulovic (Unit Production Manager)
Djurdjica Vitorovic (Production Manager)
Jelena Tvrdisic (1st Asst. Director)
Lazar Milosevic (2nd Asst. Director)
Bojana Bardic (Art Dept. Coordinator)
Nikola Jovanovic (Property Master)
Damjan Paranosic (Asst. Art Director)
Vladimir Vicentic (Asst. Art Director)
Kristina Savic (Costumer)
Navena Tomic (Location Manager)
Large Serbian teams for Stunts (including camera crew for action sequences), Camera, Electricity, and Transportation
Language: Hindi
Film Location Analysis
By Kaushik Bhaumik
Almost all the action sequences of the film are shot in Serbia, with locations in Serbia standing in for Northeast India and Kashmir. Most of the final strike on the Pakistani terrorist base was filmed in the Stara Planina region. The Stara Planina is a mountain range running for 130 km, forming the border between Bulgaria and Serbia. It is also called the Balkan Mountain, after which the whole Balkan region is named. It is a major tourist destination famous for its natural beauty and skiing possibilities.
The film begins in the Mount Avala region just outside Belgrade, where a convoy of Indian army trucks is blown up by Manipuri insurgents. This is followed by a nighttime scene of helicopters hovering over the same region. Indian soldiers are air-dropped into the region. Creeping through the forest, they come to the insurgents’ base, which they destroy. This is followed by a brief sequence with some flak and grenade bursts filling the night with fire. Once the mission is accomplished, a pink flare is smoked up to guide the helicopter that will evacuate the soldiers. The commander of the mission stands on the bank of the Bela Reka (White River) Lake, Ripanj, Belgrade, and asks ‘How’s the josh?’ (‘How’s the spirit?’), to which the soldiers shout back in chorus ‘High, Sir’. The lake is located at the foot of the Avala.
The attack by Pakistani forces on the Indian army camp at Uri was shot at the Kasarna Pavle Jurisic Sturm Military Base in Pozarevec, which is one of Serbia’s army training centres. As Indians plan to strike back, we see the forces gather, flown in helicopters at the same base. This is supposed to stand in for Udhampur, a military base in the Jammu region. There is after some time a brief sequence of the hero of the film driving through the Stara Planina National Park on the way to Baramulla in Kashmir. This is immediately followed by the song ‘Jigra’, which shows the Indian forces train. Part of this was shot in Kalna village in the Stara Planina region.
Next, we see the Pakistani base, in the village of Gornja Kamenica in the Stara Planina region. This is a ghost village and is officially closed since all inhabitants have migrated to the West in search of work. The base is revealed by a drone in the shape of a bird that flies across the forests to zero in on the village, while transmitting images to the Command Base where people watch the proceedings on a large screen.
Now the film moves to Batajnica Air Base, Belgrade, the main training base for the Serbian Air Force for the climax of the film. This stands for the Srinagar Base Camp, from which the Indians will launch their offensive on the Pakistanis. Soldiers are given a pep talk inside a hangar ending in yet another round of ‘How’s the josh?’ shouts. The soldiers are towed to the attack spot by helicopters. They are airdropped into the target zone at night. We see them with their night vision sights on, going through the Baranica Caves, a Late Pleistocene cave complex, in the Stara Planina. All through, they are guided by the bird drone. The attack takes place on the Gornja Kamenic location. The site is destroyed. Some thrills are left as the Pakistanis strafe the Indian forces via helicopters. The mission is successful, and the force re-emerges from the Baranica Caves.
Additional Information & Links
This was one of the most extensive shoots for a Bollywood film abroad. The Serbia shoot was a 50+ days shoot. Not only did the incentives given by the Serbian Film Commission help production costs but the most important factor in the film being shot there was the access to military facilities, military equipment, and above all transportation such as military helicopters. The film was shot within a compact zone around Belgrade and the Stara Planina National Park region, allowing for easy logistics and clean shooting conditions.
Promos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePO5M5DE01I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oIhjBq1DKY
