The National has the first photo of Bang Bang filming in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.
The cast and crew were at Hyatt Capital Gate Hotel, which was transformed into the MI6 headquarters for the shooting of the movie Bang Bang, predicted to be the hottest Bollywood movie of 2014. It stars Katrina Kaif and Hrithik Roshan in the lead roles, and though they were not present at the shoot, the actor Jimmy Shergill was, looking particularly suave in military gear and sunglasses.
Other actors playing “military interrogators” alongside Shergill were overheard to be “waving their pistols around” in between takes, so let’s hope the guests staying at the hotel realised they were fakes! Kaif joined her co-stars at hotel for a scene later in the afternoon.
The Capital Gate is the perfect locaton for a spy-action movie, with its high sloping sides creating the perfect setting for nail-biting stunt scenes. Signs reading “Military Intelligence, Her Majesty’s Secret Service” were placed by the lifts, a large MI6 sticker adorned the floor of reception, and rooms were turned into “interrogation areas” for some of the scenes.
Abseiling stuntsmen dangled perilously from the sides of the iconic hotel – and one scene involving the outdoor swimming pool would appear to involve one of them getting rather wet. (Which, given the hot weather, they might be grateful for!)
Kaif and Roshan are reportedly staying at Emirates Palace. The hotel is becoming a popular spot for A-list film stars shooting in the capital, after the cast of Fast & Furious 7 stayed there last month.
Produced by India's Fox Star Studios, with twofour54 acting as the UAE production arm, Bang Bang is being filmed in Abu Dhabi on May 2 for a three-week schedule. Bang Bang is a remake of the Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz action drama Knight and Day, so it's no surprise that one of the film's South African extras, Brian, refers to his co star Hrithik as "India's Tom Cruise".
A source working for Fox Star Studios said that Roshan “is playing an elusive character, and we don’t find out whether he’s a good guy or a bad guy until the very end”. His love interest, played by the British Indian actress Katrina Kaif, bumps into him in a series of coincidences.
Earlier this week, a source in the film's production unit told The National that the film would include scenes featuring some of Abu Dhabi's best-known landmarks, including Capital Gate. They also filmed at the 'bridge to nowhere', and planned to shoot around Sheikh Zayed Mosque, too.
There’s plenty more to look forward to: filming will reportedly take place on the Corniche this weekend – for the second time after last week, when a part of Corniche Road was closed off to film a high-speed chase. A resident of Baynounah Towers on the Corniche, who watched from her apartment as a sports car wove in and out of traffic, said: “It was quite amusing to watch. The sports car was going at about 80kph and the other cars were doing about 30kph; then when they’d shot the scene, they’d have to all reverse back at the same time for the next take.”
Directed by Siddharth Anand, Bang Bang also features Danny Denzongpa, Jaaved Jaffrey and Pavan Malhotra. It is due out on October 2 in the UAE.
artslife@thenational.ae
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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.”
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Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
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