Yash Raj Films’ mega flick ‘Thugs of Hindostan’ has filmed extensively on the high seas in Malta, a picturesque, virginal European island nation. Separated from India, where the film is set, Malta is fairly distant from India both geographically and culturally. Yet, there’s actually a few unique details that connect Malta to India. Writer- director Vijay Krishna Acharya and the film’s star Aamir Khan both experienced the India connect while filming here.
Said a source from the film’s unit, “Malta is home to Camino Island, a famous spot known for its pristine blue lagoon and visually stunning scenery. While researching locally, Victor (director Vijay Krishna Acharya) found that the name, Camino, actually comes from cumin- a term to denote Jeera, the Indian spice. In the late medieval era, when sea faring and the spice trade with India had picked up pace with Spain, the Netherlands and rest of Europe, Indian spices were traded at extremely high prices and were sought after. As Malta was an outpost for this trade, cumin became a reference point for such trading ships. This unique bit of history intrigued Victor and Aamir a fair bit. Always a history buff, Aamir actually made a trip to this lagoon, a popular local holiday spot, to see it and explore on foot.”
Slices of history from India’s sea faring past overlap with local folklore in Malta often, which made the entire shoot schedule in the island quite interesting for the film’s crew. An entertainer that deals with a period of adventure and action on the high seas, ‘Thugs of Hindostan’ has been partially shot on two massive ships put up on the coast of Malta, Europe. An imaginative journey, this mega flick co-stars Aamir Khan with Amitabh Bachchan for the first time ever and also features Katrina Kaif and Fatima Sana Shaikh.
