The trailer of Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone's highly anticipated action film Pathaan was released on Tuesday, featuring scenes shot in Downtown Dubai.
The spy thriller, which features John Abraham as the antagonist, is set to be released on January 25.
In the trailer, Khan and Padukone, who play soldiers, are seen hot on the heels of Abraham's character, who seems intent on destroying India. Scenes shot in Dubai include a fight between Khan and Abraham on top of a moving truck, as well as Abraham shooting at a police car with a rocket.
Pathaan marks the big screen return of Khan after more than four years, following the box office debacle of his last film Zero in 2018.
In March last year, the Bollywood superstar gave fans the first glimpse of his long-awaited comeback. Production of the film was delayed owing to the coronavirus pandemic, as well as the drama following Khan's son Aryan Khan's arrest in a drug bust.
"I know it’s late … but remember the date … Pathaan time starts now … See you in cinemas on January 25, 2023," Khan posted on his social media channels, along with a clip featuring co-stars Padukone and Abraham.
"In our nation, we are named by our religion or our caste. But he had none of them," Abraham says in character in the teaser.
Padukone then adds: "He didn't even have anyone who could name him. All he had was his nation, India."
Blurry shots of Khan walking towards the camera are then shown, with his voiceover.
"He made his nation his religion. And protecting the country, his duty," Khan says.
"Those who don't have a name, are named by their companions. How did I get this name? Wait a little bit more to find out. Let's meet soon... with Pathaan."
What's Shah Rukh Khan's Pathaan all about?
Khan plays a character named Pathaan who will go to any lengths to save India. The character is believed to be an agent working with India's intelligence agency, Research and Analysis Wing, while Padukone plays his colleague.
Abraham plays the antagonist, a terrorist who works for the mafia.
The film is directed by Siddharth Anand, known for his high-octane money-spinners Bang Bang! (2014) and War (2019), and there's bound to be a lot of action with Khan having physically transformed for the role.
Fans in the UAE also have a special reason to be excited, as scenes for the film were shot in Downtown Dubai in 2021. Khan was spotted shooting a fight scene atop a moving lorry, as well as a 4x4 car in January.
Who's in the cast of 'Pathaan'?
Khan, Padukone and Abraham will play pivotal roles in the film. Khan and Padukone are known for their crackling chemistry, having starred together in major hits Om Shanti Om (2007), Chennai Express (2013) and Happy New Year (2014).
Padukone has also shared a "motion poster" of her character, showing her firing a gun and with a bruised face.
"Guns and grace galore. @deepikapadukone is all that and more," Khan also posted, along with a similar photo.
The stars will be joined by veteran actress Dimple Kapadia, last seen in Christopher Nolan's Tenet, as well as Ashutosh Rana, plus Gautam Rode, best-known for his television roles.
A casting coup featuring cameos by two other major stars playing characters from their respective films has also been revealed — Salman Khan is set to play the spy from his hit Tiger spy franchise, while Hrithik Roshan will appear as his agent from the film War.
What is the release date for 'Pathaan'?
Pathaan is set to be released on January 25, 2023, one day before India's Republic Day. To take advantage of the patriotic theme, the film will also be simultaneously released in regional languages Tamil and Telugu besides Hindi.
— This article was first published on March 4, 2022
UAE squad
Rohan Mustafa (captain), Ashfaq Ahmed, Ghulam Shabber, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Boota, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Shaiman Anwar, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Qadeer Ahmed, Mohammed Naveed, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan
Bharatanatyam
A ancient classical dance from the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Intricate footwork and expressions are used to denote spiritual stories and ideas.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
About Proto21
Date started: May 2018
Founder: Pir Arkam
Based: Dubai
Sector: Additive manufacturing (aka, 3D printing)
Staff: 18
Funding: Invested, supported and partnered by Joseph Group
SHADOWS%20AND%20LIGHT%3A%20THE%20EXTRAORDINARY%20LIFE%20OF%20JAMES%20MCBEY
%3Cp%3EAuthor%3A%20Alasdair%20Soussi%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EPages%3A%20300%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EPublisher%3A%20Scotland%20Street%20Press%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EAvailable%3A%20December%201%3C%2Fp%3E%0A