Farah Khan, Director of Happy New Year, Shah Rukh Khan,Deepika Padukone and Abhishek Bachchan join Jamal Al Sharif, Chairman of DFTC and Serge Zaalof, President and Managing Director, Atlantis, The Palm.
At a press conference held in Dubai, UAE, September 13th, 2013 Film and TV Commission (DFTC), in collaboration with Atlantis, The Palm are extended their full support for the smooth production of the upcoming Bollywood film Happy New Year,starring superstar Shah Rukh Khan. The filming of Red Chillies Entertainments Private Ltd.’s film, also starring Deepika Padukone and Abhishek Bachchan, and directed by Farah Khan.
DFTC has partnered with Dubai Government entities to simplify the entire filmmaking process for the production team, while Atlantis, The Palm is hosting a majority of the shoot in and around the resort’s iconic grounds. Emirates Airline has also played its role in flying the stars and crew to Dubai for the production while the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) has provided extensive logistical support to facilitate the overall shoot.
Happy New Year is the latest coup in a busy and successful year for Dubai’s burgeoning media production industry. The filmmakers’ decision to shoot a significant portion of the film in Dubai confirms the emirate’s growing prominence as a production location favoured by filmmakers around the world and its capacity to accommodate a variety of large international productions. In the first half of 2013 alone, DFTC has already facilitated the Dubai-based shoots for several notable productions, including Indian films Ramaiya Vastavaiya,Ladies and Gentleman and Mental, episodes of MasterChef Australia, and Arabic TV series such as Mohal and Ya Malak Kalbi.
Speaking during filming in Dubai, Shah Rukh Khan,said: “Dubai is a beautiful city. It has a great scenic balance of ancient and modern architecture. It is not just the shopping capital of the Middle East, but is a perfect location for a film shoot. We have been shooting for our film, Happy New Year,here since September 2nd and I would like to thank Dubai Film and TV Commission, the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, Atlantis, The Palm and Emirates for being such gracious hosts to us. Dubai is like home for me and I have loved every bit of my experience of shooting for Happy New Year here.
Farah Khan, Director, said: “I wrote the script of Happy New Year with Dubai in mind. In fact in this film, Dubai is not just a location but an integral character! The entire climax is shot around New Year’s Eve at Atlantis, The Palm! To have been able to secure the location and have all the logistics in place is a perfect combination. The different locations of Dubai where we have shot are essential to the film and I want to thank the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, the Dubai Mall and Dubai Airport in particular for being so helpful. I will always cherish this experience of shooting Happy New Year here in Dubai.”
Jamal Al Sharif concluded: “As one of the largest centres of film production in the world, the Indian film industry offers exciting opportunities for collaboration with Dubai. Happy New Year embodies the unique partnership we have with Bollywood and greater India as we work together to establish Dubai as a unique consolidated production hub that caters to the many requirements of India’s diverse film industries.”