FILM · 2013 · INDIA
Dhoom:3
90 archived facts 6 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
All facts (90)
- #001
Aamir Khan reportedly signed an agreement that the hero would not hit him in the film, even though he plays the villain who angers Gulshan Kıvırcık, who believes villains should be brave enough to take a beating. This is the only film in the series in which ACP Jai Dixit (Abhishek Bachchan) does not physically fight the villain at the film's climax.
- #002
Dhoom 3 was initially going to be set in Mumbai, India (and was mentioned at the end of Dhoom 2), with Shah Rukh Khan playing the villain, but Shah Rukh Khan chose to withdraw from the film because he was constantly getting injured during the shoots of other films. Dhoom 3 spent years in development hell until YRF finally told Aamir its conditions for how the film should be made. Despite the change of lead actor, several of Shah Rukh Khan's trademarks remained in the film: namely the tendency to play two different characters and to appear completely submerged in water.
- #003
It is the first Indian film to be released in the IMAX format.
- #004
It is Aamir Khan's first dual role in a film.
- #005
In June, the shooting schedule was postponed by another month because Khan wanted to prepare himself for the role of the gymnast.
- #006
Dhoom 3 is the first Bollywood film to enter the 250cr club.
- #007
The film was inspired by Christopher Nolan's The Prestige, in which Christian Bale plays a dual role.
- #008
Abhishek Bachchan took long leaves during the production and planning stages to be with his wife Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, who was pregnant at the time.
- #009
Many iconic Chicago buildings are locations redesigned for the film. The Chicago Police Department headquarters is the Tribune Tower and the Great Indian Circus is the Shedd Aquarium; two notable examples.
- #010
Made on a budget of 175 crore (27 million US dollars), the film was one of the most expensive Indian films ever made.
- #011
The climax was shot at the Contra Dam in Switzerland, which became a popular bungee jumping spot after a James Bond stuntman jumped from it in the opening scene of the 1995 film "GoldenEye".
- #012
Rimi Sen, who played Abhishek Bachchan's wife in the first two films, was not offered the film, but she said she would not take on the role in the third installment.
- #013
Kaif took paragliding training and singing lessons.
- #014
In every film of the series, the final confrontation between the heroes and the villain ends with the latter falling from a cliff or something similar, but with a different outcome each time. In Dhoom, John Abraham's character drives his car off a cliff to his death, knowing he can no longer escape Abhishek Bachchan (who has also shot him in the hand), while in Dhoom 2, Hrithik Roshan apparently dies after being shot and falling into the water, though he is later revealed to be alive. In this film too, the villains jump from the dam to escape arrest and die off-screen.
- #015
It is Aamir Khan's third on-screen death after Rang De Basanti (2006) and Fanaa (2006).
- #016
According to the VFX supervisor, the stunt in which Aamir rides a bicycle on a tightrope was done digitally, with only the background filmed.
- #017
The song "Malang" was sampled from the song "Ali Da Malang" on Bally Sagoo and Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's album Magic Touch.
- #018
The film is directed by Vijay Krishna Acharya, who wrote all three films.
- #019
Jackie Shroff and Aamir Khan appeared in a film together after 18 years, the last being "Rangeela" (1995). However, they did not share a single scene in this film.
- #020
Cinépolis Pune set a unique record on 20 December 2013 by hosting 54 screenings of Dhoom 3.
- #021
The film's satellite rights were sold for a record price of 750 million INR (11 million USD).
- #022
The 3D game, developed by 99Games Online (a subsidiary of Robosoft mobile games), was set against the backdrop of Chicago and opened with a heist by the character played by Aamir Khan.
- #023
Within 20 days of its release, the game saw more than 1 million downloads on the Windows Phone Marketplace and the Nokia Store.
- #024
The Dhoom:3 mobile game surpassed 10 million downloads within three months of its release.
- #025
It was the first Indian film to gross 100 million dollars.
- #026
The third film in the Krrish series was released the same year. In 2006, the second films of both the Dhoom and Krrish series, starring Hrithik Roshan, were released.
- #027
A line in the song "Malang" reads "Ishaq Mein Ho Jaun Fanaa", a line that also appears in the title song of the film "Fanaa", which likewise starred Aamir Khan and was produced by Yashraj Films.
- #028
The second film in the series featured a dual role from its main cast. In DHOOM 2, Bipasha Basu's character Shonali Bose had a twin sister, Monali, living in Brazil, where the climate heist took place. In this film, Aamir Khan plays the twin brothers who are the main antagonists.
- #029
Aamir Khan stated that Rimi Sen appeared in the first script of Dhoom 3. She was to come to Chicago with Jai for their long-awaited so-called honeymoon. However, just as they are about to part, Jai is called to find the thief who is attacking all the banks. Jai keeps this a secret from Rimi, though she knows from the start that he is on a mission.
- #030
Initially the producers and lead actor Aamir wanted to release the film at Christmas 2012, but the plan was dropped in favour of an early 2013 release date, mainly because it was estimated that a Christmas release would force a rushed post-production schedule, which was viewed negatively given the high level of technical specifications the film required.
- #031
Bachchan was reported to have lost nine kilos to prepare for his role in the film.
- #032
The dual role was only confirmed at the film's premiere. This made Dhoom 3 the first and currently only film in the series in which the antagonist plays a dual role.
- #033
Filming was planned to begin in November 2011, with scenes featuring Abhishek Bachchan and Uday Chopra shot first, but the shoot was postponed to January 2012 because Abhishek Bachchan was on paternity leave.
- #034
Khan could not join the initial schedule because he wanted to focus on the marketing and promotion of his 2012 film "Talaash".
- #035
Filming finally began on 8 June 2012 at Yash Raj Studios in Mumbai with Jackie Shroff and the child actor Siddharth Nigam, who played the childhood Aamir Khan.
- #036
It was Uday Chopra's last film.
- #037
The film was digitally re-mastered into IMAX format using the proprietary IMAX DMR® (Digital Re-Mastering) technology and premiered in IMAX cinemas in India and selected global locations.
- #038
The film received a local Atmos mix at YRF Studios.
- #039
Dhoom 3 opened on 250 screens in West Bengal.
- #040
It was also released in non-traditional overseas markets such as Egypt, Peru, Germany and Malaysia.
- #041
It was scheduled to be released in China on 25 July 2014.
- #042
With 2,000 screenings in 400 cities, it was the widest release an Indian film had received in China at that time.
- #043
The film's title logo was shown in a video featuring its lead actors.
- #044
The first look and promotional poster were also released about a year before the film's release.
- #045
The video's music, which referenced the lead actors, consisted of fast-paced rhythms and electric guitars; it premiered at Christmas 2012 on Yash Raj Films' official YouTube channel and confirmed that the film would be released at Christmas 2013.
- #046
The film's first teaser was released on 5 September 2013 at 12 noon IST.
- #047
In August 2013, YRF released a motion poster on YouTube showing the film's first look. It showed Aamir Khan standing inside a tall building, his hidden face looking through a glass window at helicopters in the air. A voiceover reveals that the Chicago police force is searching for a fugitive motorcyclist who disappears without being caught.
- #048
The film's teaser was also attached to Shuddh Desi Romance, another Yash Raj production.
- #049
The game's Android, iOS and Blackberry 10 versions were released on 19 November 2013.
- #050
The first teaser reached 6 million views on YouTube in 6 days and then 12 million views in 20 days.
- #051
The theatrical trailer premiered on 30 October 2013 in IMAX format and on YouTube.
- #052
PVR Cinemas began advance bookings on the day the trailer was released for select screenings of the film, and by 17 December 2013 had seen sales of just under 20 million rupees (US$300,000).
- #053
Aamir Khan promoted the film on the sets of Kaun Banega Crorepati.
- #054
The promotional campaign included tie-ins with more than 17 leading brands, among them Mattel (producing limited-edition action figures, model cars and bicycles), Gulf Oil, CEAT, Bombay Dyeing, Archies for stationery and the LINE messaging app, as well as 183 other brands.
- #055
A marketing deal was also made with BMW Motorrad, revealing that the S1000RR and K1300R sports motorcycles would appear in the film.
- #056
The first special screening of Dhoom 3 was held on 19 December 2013 at Yash Raj Studios.
- #057
Politician Raj Thackeray attended another special screening held on 22 December.
- #058
The Spanish version of the song "Dhoom Machale," sung by Mia Mont, was released by Yashraj Films on 4 January 2014.
- #059
Earlier reports suggested that Shefali Alvares had been assigned to sing Dhoom's title track, but this turned out to be a rumour.
- #060
In a statement, Aamir said the title song "Dhoom Machale Dhoom" was dedicated to Sachin Tendulkar, who was playing his 200th and final Test match at Wankhede Stadium.
- #061
The video for the title song, featuring Katrina Kaif and sung by Aditi Singh Sharma, was released on 14 November 2013.
- #062
The first look of the song "Malang" was revealed on 25 November 2013.
- #063
The "Dhoom Tap" teaser, featuring Aamir Khan tap dancing to the rhythms with dancers in the background, was unveiled on 3 December 2013.
- #064
The teaser for the song "Kamli," featuring Katrina Kaif and sung by Sunidhi Chauhan, was released on 6 December 2013.
- #065
The title song "Dhoom Machale" was also recorded in an Arabic version sung by Lebanese singer Naya.
- #066
Predictions about the soundtrack proved correct, and the album topped the iTunes charts after the film's premiere. The songs "Kamli" and "Dhoom Machale" topped the iTunes singles chart.
- #067
The song "Bande Hain Hum Uske" was sung by Shankar Mahadevan's 12-year-old son Shivam Mahadevan and Anish Sharma. His elder son Siddharth Mahadevan sang the song "Malang" in the film alongside Shilpa Rao.
- #068
Rohit Khilnani of India Today rated the music as "below average."
- #069
On 6 January 2014, Yash Raj Films issued a statement that Dhoom 3 had become the first Indian film to officially earn 5 billion rupees worldwide.
- #070
Abhishek Bachchan was the only actor who performed all of his motorcycle stunts himself, while Aamir and Uday had body doubles and green screen effects.
- #071
This was Siddarth Nigam's debut.
- #072
The film was released in cinemas in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada.
- #073
The name Sahir means magician, sorcerer or wizard. Both of the twins' names have a secondary meaning evoking "night owl."
- #074
Aamir Khan's character was originally named Jordan.
- #075
It became the 78th highest-grossing film of 2013 worldwide.
- #076
The film was screened in the Celebrating Dance in Indian Cinema section of the 2014 India International Film Festival.
- #077
Even before principal photography began, the film received wide media coverage because of the massive box-office success of the earlier films Dhoom 2 and Dhoom, creating anticipation among audiences and the media.
- #078
Aditya Chopra, producer of the earlier Dhoom films, confirmed on 2 January 2011 that principal photography for the third film in the Dhoom series would begin by the end of 2011.
- #079
Chopra reportedly wanted to make the film in 3D after observing the success of earlier Bollywood films released in that format.
- #080
As of September 2012, YRF Studios had not announced a 3D production of the film.
- #081
Olliver Keller was hired to direct the stunt scenes.
- #082
The action scenes were directed by Conrad Palmisano and Sham Kaushal.
- #083
The schedule was postponed from January to June because of lead actor Aamir's prior commitments to his series Satyamev Jayate.
- #084
When Bachchan arrived in India from the United States in December 2012, he stated that fifty percent of the shooting was complete and would resume in Mumbai.
- #085
In the second week of March 2013, the team reportedly traveled to Zurich and Ticino, Switzerland, to shoot the climax.
- #086
Filming finally wrapped on 14 September 2013 at a suburban studio in Mumbai.
- #087
MAX Corporation and Yash Raj Films announced that Dhoom:3 would be the first Indian local-language production released in IMAX format.
- #088
Dhoom:3 was given a 12A certificate by the British Board of Film Classification for moderate violence.
- #089
In June 2014, 99Games Online released Dhoom:3 Jet Speed, a sequel to the mobile game Dhoom: 3 The Game.
- #090
Pritam, the composer of Dhoom and Dhoom 2, returned once again to compose the music for the third installment.
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