FILM · 2018 · INDIA
Thugs of Hindostan
96 archived facts 5 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
All facts (96)
- #001
The production in Malta made Thugs of Hindostan the most expensive outdoor production in the history of Indian cinema.
- #002
This was the first time Aamir Khan and Amitabh Bachchan were to be seen together in a film.
- #003
The film was edited on a cinema screen rather than on a computer, a first in the history of Indian cinema.
- #004
The film was first offered to Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone.
- #005
Amitabh Bachchan had broken his upper left rib, but because the film's shoot followed a tight schedule, he continued filming despite the unbearable pain.
- #006
Amitabh Bachchan suffered neck and back pain because of the heavy costumes and spectacles in the film.
- #007
In August 2018, it emerged that Aditya Chopra had set up an in-house VFX company called YFX in 2016 to begin work on the film.
- #008
Aamir Khan was uncomfortable sleeping on his right side because of the extreme pain in his ear cartilage caused by his ear piercing, and he often screamed in pain when it was touched.
- #009
Bachchan's costume was originally made of metal, but it was later replaced with leather.
- #010
Aamir Khan got permanent nose and ear piercings in order to get into the spirit of his character.
- #011
Aditya Chopra wanted Vaani Kapoor for the role of Zafira. However, Aamir Khan insisted on signing Fatima Sana Sheikh.
- #012
Because of Aamir Khan's growing popularity in China and Hong Kong, there were reports that the film would be released simultaneously in India and China.
- #013
Aamir Khan's look as Firangi was revealed on 24 September in the fifth motion poster.
- #014
On 26 September, Khan released two videos in which Bachchan introduced the film in Tamil and Telugu.
- #015
Aamir Khan, Katrina Kaif and Vijay Krishna Acharya had previously worked together on another Yash Raj production, Dhoom 3 (2013).
- #016
It was supposed to be released in 3D, but there was not enough time for the conversion.
- #017
Aamir Khan took a day off from the shoot in Jodhpur for his 53rd birthday and went to Mumbai to celebrate with his family.
- #018
Aamir Khan stated that the first day of rehearsals was a fan moment for him because he was working with Amitabh Bachchan.
- #019
The producers had decided to reveal each actor's character look starting from 17 September.
- #020
Amitabh Bachchan's look was first revealed through a motion poster released on 18 September, which also revealed that his character's name was Khudabaksh.
- #021
The film's original release date was 7 November 2018. However, when Aamir Khan released the first teaser showing the logo, it was stated as 8 November 2018. Aamir Khan cited the film's postponement by one day to 7 November falling on Laxmi Pujan, which would mean fewer shows for evening screenings in cinemas.
- #022
Jackie Shroff chose to withdraw from the film because it clashed with his programme "Paltan" (2018).
- #023
Aamir Khan's look in the film was inspired by Kamal Haasan's look in Hey Ram.
- #024
Amitabh Bachchan had served as the narrator in Aamir Khan's film "Lagaan" (2001).
- #025
The third motion poster was released on 20 September and revealed Lloyd Owen's look as John Clive.
- #026
There were reports that "2.0", another much-anticipated film of the year, might clash with this film at Diwali, but this film was postponed by three weeks and is now scheduled for release on 29 November.
- #027
Bachchan's costume and makeup took four hours.
- #028
After receiving a negative response, Khan edited the film himself for its release in China.
- #029
It is Aamir Khan's second lead-role film to be released during Diwali after "Raja Hindustani" (1996). Both have "Hindustan" in their titles.
- #030
The trailer was released on 27 September, on Yash Chopra's 86th birthday.
- #031
The action directors, the visual effects team, the set designers, the visual coordinators and various technical staff were all appointed from Hollywood.
- #032
Amitabh Bachchan's son Abhishek Bachchan also starred in "Dhoom 3", which featured Aamir Khan and Katrina Kaif and was directed by Vijay Krishna Acharya.
- #033
Aamir Khan officially announced the project on 7 September 2016.
- #034
It is Fatima Sana Sheikh's second film with Aamir Khan after "Dangal" (2016).
- #035
While filming in the caves, giant snakes would appear on the sets. The crew also played pranks by throwing plastic snakes onto the sets.
- #036
It is the first film in which Aamir Khan and Ronit Roy appear together, even though they share no scenes. Ronit Roy's agency, Ace Security, provides Aamir Khan's security.
- #037
The film contains a scene in which the bandits led by Khudabaksh, played by Amitabh Bachchan, stand still like a giant fake statue for a few seconds in order to attack the British fleet. Bachchan had done a similar scene in his film "Coolie", in which his character acted like a statue on a pedestal for several minutes.
- #038
Aditya Chopra began working on the film's visual effects with director Vijay Krishna Acharya two years before its release.
- #039
The film was previously titled Thug.
- #040
A second motion poster revealing Fatima Sana Sheikh's look as Zafira was released on 19 September.
- #041
Two ships were built for the film in the style of the early eighteenth century, in which ships carried cannons and other weapons.
- #042
The producers decided not to give audiences a teaser and to release the trailer directly.
- #043
Alia Bhatt was approached for the female lead in the film but turned it down due to scheduling issues related to her prior commitments.
- #044
A fourth motion poster revealing the look of Katrina Kaif's character Suraiyya was released on 21 September.
- #045
Jackie Shroff, who appeared in "Dhoom 3" (2013) alongside Aamir Khan, was also supposed to appear in the film with Katrina Kaif. However, he turned it down due to other commitments.
- #046
Amitabh Bachchan and Katrina Kaif worked together on "Boom" (2003), Kaif's first film, and "Sarkar" (2005).
- #047
Thugs of Hindostan will mark Amitabh Bachchan's collaboration with all of Bollywood's star Khans (namely Aamir, Shahrukh and Salman Khan). He had previously worked with SRK on films such as Mohabbatein and K3G, and with Salman Khan on Babul and Baghban.
- #048
Mid-Day once reported that Aditya Chopra was not impressed by Victor's direction and asked him to reshoot some scenes. A set was said to have been recreated at YRF Studio for the reshoot. However, it later turned out to be a rumour.
- #049
Hrithik Roshan chose to withdraw because he wanted some script changes.
- #050
Khan said the water made the ship's floor slippery and caused problems during the shoot.
- #051
It took Fatima Sana Shaikh about six hours to put on her costume.
- #052
Fatima Sana Sheikh played Aamir Khan's daughter in "Dangal" (2016). In this film they share a romantic relationship.
- #053
In an interview, Aamir Khan said he took full responsibility for Thugs Of Hindostan not working with audiences.
- #054
The Mid-day reported that Aamir was not satisfied with some of Katrina's action scenes and felt she needed to reshoot some of them. However, Yashraj Films denied the news.
- #055
Filming began on 5 June 2017 in Malta.
- #056
It is Aamir Khan's second consecutive film to be released on the occasion of Diwali, after "Secret Superstar".
- #057
A teaser showing the logo and the premiere date was released on 17 September 2018.
- #058
Shraddha Kapoor, Alia Bhatt and Deepika Padukone were also considered for the lead roles.
- #059
The main poster showing all four lead characters was unveiled on 25 September 2018.
- #060
This marked the second time Kaivalya Chheda had the chance to work with Vijay Krishna Acharya; they had previously worked together on the popular TV series Son Pari (2000) in its first year.
- #061
Katrina Kaif was criticised for wearing shorts in a song in Thugs of Hindostan, since the film is an 18th-century period drama.
- #062
It was the second film of the year to release posters introducing its lead characters; the first was "Race 3" (2018).
- #063
Amitabh Bachchan's gang is named Azad, which is also the name of Aamir Khan's son.
- #064
"Charas" (1976) was the first Indian film shot in Malta. Forty-two years later, "Thugs Of Hindostan" was filmed in the country.
- #065
The costumes were designed by Manoshi Nath and Rushi Sharma.
- #066
Thugs of Hindostan collected more than 50 crore INR on its opening day.
- #067
The film's budget was 300 crore INR.
- #068
While filming in a cave on Thailand's Koh Poda Island that served as Amitabh Bachchan's hiding place, there were 30 shops around it. To reach the location, Amitabh Bachchan had to be carried in a palki; however, he repeatedly tried to do it himself but struggled because of breathing problems.
- #069
This was Aamir Khan's second Diwali release since "Raja Hindustani" (1996). "Secret Superstar" was also a Diwali release that Khan produced and in which he played a supporting role opposite Zahira Wasim.
- #070
The film's making-of was released in ten different parts between 8 October and 5 November.
- #071
In March 2017, Khan was reported to have suggested Fatima Sana Shaikh's name for the role in the film; Shaikh denied the casting rumours while expressing her desire to work on the project.
- #072
The film recorded the highest first-day collection and the highest two-day collection among any Indian film in India, as well as the fourth-biggest opening weekend in India, but it later suffered a major drop in its second weekend.
- #073
Hrithik Roshan, who was initially offered the lead role in the film, suggested that some changes be made to the script.
- #074
Kaif's involvement in the film was confirmed on Yash Raj Films' official website.
- #075
This was Fatima Sana Shaikh's first collaboration with Yash Raj Films.
- #076
Made on an estimated budget of 210 crore (29 million US dollars), Thugs of Hindostan is one of the most expensive Indian films.
- #077
Thugs of Hindostan was released on 8 November 2018, during the week of the Diwali festival.
- #078
Thugs of Hindostan received generally negative reviews; critics praised the performances of Bachchan and Khan while criticising Acharya's direction and screenplay.
- #079
Principal photography began on 5 June 2017 in Malta; the film was also shot in Thailand and at Mehrangarh.
- #080
The film's music was composed by Ajay-Atul and the lyrics were written by Amitabh Bhattacharya.
- #081
As of 26 November 2018, Thugs of Hindostan had grossed 262.80 crore (US$40.22 million) in worldwide box office revenue.
- #082
The film marked the first time Khan and Bachchan appeared together in leading roles, and it was the second collaboration between Khan, Acharya and Kaif after Dhoom 3 (2013).
- #083
Filming ended in March 2018, with the final schedule to be completed in Rajasthan.
- #084
Around 170 crore (US$26.11 million) was recovered from satellite, digital and music rights.
- #085
The film was initially titled simply Thug; it had been planned for a Diwali 2018 release.
- #086
It is the third Aamir Khan film set in British India, after Lagaan (2001) and Mangal Pandey (2005).
- #087
Ronit Roy replaced Jackie Shroff.
- #088
It is Katrina Kaif's seventh collaboration with Yash Raj Films; her previous collaboration with the studio was Tiger Zinda Hai.
- #089
It is Aamir Khan's third collaboration with Yash Raj Films; his previous collaborations with the studio were Fanaa and Dhoom 3.
- #090
It is Amitabh Bachchan's seventh collaboration with Yash Raj Films; his previous collaboration with the studio was Bunty Aur Babli.
- #091
This is the third film featuring both Amitabh Bachchan and Katrina Kaif, but they have no scenes together in it. It means 15 years will have passed since they last shared screen space in Boom (2003) in 2018.
- #092
Ila Arun stated that she had always envied the "Queens" and that when she was lifted onto the palki she felt as if she were one of them.
- #093
While the film was shot on ships, a scuba diving team was diving for safety purposes because the ships were high up.
- #094
By February 2017, Khan had prepared his look for the film.
- #095
In September 2016, Yash Raj Films announced its next project, titled Thugs of Hindostan, which would star Aamir Khan and Amitabh Bachchan. At that time the lead actress had not yet been finalised.
- #096
The soundtrack was initially to be composed by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, but after the film was reshot they could not complete their work by the new deadline and new tracks were requested.
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