Aamir Khan’s Thugs of Hindostan to be shot on 2 massive ships, took a year to construct sets

Nowadays, Bollywood film-makers often go out of the way to achieve authentic look for their films. In the latest instance, we have learnt that for Aamir Khan-Amitabh Bachchan-starrer Thugs of Hindostan, the makers constructed two massive ships weighing over two lakh kilos.

Says an insider, “Since sea and ships play an integral part in the plot, Aamir as well as (producer) Aditya Chopra were sure that they would go all out to present the biggest spectacle that Hindi cinema has ever witnessed. The film’s budgets are yet to be ascertained, but the cost for the two ships easily runs into several crores.”

That’s how two mammoth ships — weighing two lakh kilos — were built by over 1,000 people, including international designers and ship makers. “It took over a year to build these two ships off the coast of Malta (in Europe). Director Viktor (Vijay Krishna Acharya) wanted to go the whole hog in terms of scale and create a huge visual experience. Authenticity and aesthetics have both been kept in mind given the fact that it’s a period film,” adds the insider. The film also stars Fatima Sana Shaikh, who was seen as Geeta Phogat in Dangal, which saw Aamir play her reel father; and Katrina Kaif.

Big budget at stake!

Cleopatra (1963): Adjusted for inflation, Cleopatra is one of the most expensive films ever made – with the budget of $44 million that’s roughly equivalent to $340 million now. A major chunk of it was spent on lavish sets. In total, 79 sets were created.

Titanic (1997): Adjusting for inflation, the set for Titanic cost a staggering $30 million with a big chunk of that going into the creation of a replica of the ill-fated ship. The replica was housed inside a whopping 17-million gallon tank that cost $40 million. At $200 million, the movie cost more than the real ship.

The Matrix Reloaded (2003): Some $1.5 million worth of the movie’s multi-million dollar budget went into building the freeway used for the chase scene. The result was a mile-and-a-half stretch, built over an old runway at a former military base, with its own off-ramp and 19-foot concrete walls