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The action film stars Pan-India star Prabhas alongside Bollywood actress Shraddha Kapoor. The pair have been shooting at locations across Abu Dhabi for 40 days – one of the longest shoots to have taken place in the Emirate – with a huge crew of 450 media professionals. The large-scale action scenes alone took 20 days to shoot.

Production on ‘Saaho’ started a few weeks after two other international movies – ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’, starring Tom Cruise, and ‘Race 3’, starring Salman Khan – wrapped in the Emirate.

H.E. Maryam Eid AlMheiri, CEO of Media Zone Authority – Abu Dhabi and twofour54 Abu Dhabi, who visited the set to meet the cast and crew during the shoot, said: “Abu Dhabi is becoming the number one choice in the region for filmmakers from all over the world, thanks to our incredible pool of talent, diverse and unique locations, award-winning studios and backlot, and financial incentives, such as the 30% rebate on production spend.

“Already this year, we have had three major international productions shoot here in the space of just a few months, as well as numerous Arabic TV shows and films.

“It is exciting for all of us in Abu Dhabi’s thriving media industry to see such success in our Emirate, which is truly becoming the Capital for content creators.”

‘Saaho’, the seventh major Indian movie to be shot in Abu Dhabi, is a trilingual action thriller written and directed by Sujeeth Reddy and produced by UV Creations, whose other hit films include ‘Mirchi’, ‘Run Raja Run’, and ‘Express Raja’.

The director, Sujeeth Reddy, said: “Our shoot has gone seamlessly thanks to the incredible support of organisations such as twofour54 and the Abu Dhabi Film Commission. I don’t think I’ve ever felt more welcome as a filmmaker anywhere in the world.

“Abu Dhabi is a remarkable place and I’m sure we will be returning to film here again.”

Top talent from the world’s leading film hubs converged in Abu Dhabi for the film, proving that the Emirate is truly at the centre of the world’s film industry. Prabhas, leading man in India’s biggest magnum opus, the ‘Baahubali’ series, was joined by award-winning Bollywood star Kapoor, whose hits include ‘Aashiqui 2 ‘, ‘Ek Villain’ and ‘Haider’, while renowned stunt director Kenny Bates choreographed the film’s thrilling action scenes. Among the many hits Bates has worked on are ‘Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol’, ‘Pearl Harbor’, ‘Transformers: Dark of the Moon’, and ‘The Fast and the Furious’.

twofour54 provided full production services as well as the support of its Government and Travel Services department and the film is benefiting from Abu Dhabi Film Commission’s 30% rebate on production and post-production spend in the Emirate. Two interns also worked on the project as part of twofour54’s aim to ensure that attracting productions to Abu Dhabi helps to develop the Emirate’s media professionals to create a sustainable media industry.

Prabhas said: “What an incredible time we have had in Abu Dhabi. I have many friends in the industry who have shot here and told me all about the Emirate, however, it has surpassed even their high praise.
“I truly believe Abu Dhabi is one of the world’s best film locations and I can’t wait to come back.”

‘Saaho’ is the latest international film production to be shot in the Emirate. Among the major studios and production companies that have embraced Abu Dhabi as a location in recent years are Universal Pictures with ‘Furious 7’, Disney with ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’, and Yash Raj Films with ‘Tiger Zinda Hai’, as well as Paramount Pictures with ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’.

Other Indian hits that have been shot in Abu Dhabi include Bollywood blockbusters ‘Dishoom’, ‘Baby’, and ‘Bang’ and ‘Race 3’.

‘Saaho’ is expected to hit cinemas in 2019.

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