Bharat (transl. India)[a] is an upcoming Indian Hindi-language drama film written and directed by Ali Abbas Zafar. It is jointly produced by Atul Agnihotri, Alvira Khan Agnihotri, Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar, Nikhil Namit and Salman Khan under the banners Reel Life Productions, Salman Khan Films and T-Series. The film stars Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Tabu, Disha Patani and Jackie Shroff. It traces India's post-independence history from the perspective of a common man, and follows his life from the age of 18 to 70.
Based on the 2014 South Korean melodrama Ode to My Father, principal photography for Bharat began in April 2018. Shooting took place at such locations as Abu Dhabi, Spain, Malta, Punjab and Delhi. Kaif joined the cast soon after Priyanka Chopra opted out of the role after filming commenced, for her impending engagement to Nick Jonas. Filming concluded in March 2019. The film's soundtrack was composed by Vishal-Shekhar, with lyrics written by Irshad Kamil, and released under the banner T-Series.
Bharat is scheduled to be theatrically released in India on 5 June 2019, on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr.
Bharat is based on the South Korean melodrama Ode to My Father (2014), which traces the history of South Korea parallel to a man's life, spanning from the 1950s to the 2010s.[4][5] During the Partition of India in 1947, Bharat's father stays back in present-day Pakistan and makes his eight-year-old son promise to lead the household and keep the family together, no matter what.[6] Bharat's life over a period of 60 years, from 18 to 70 years of age, traces India's post-independence history.[6]
Bharat joins The Great Russian Circus in 1964 and earns a reputation for being a playboy.[6][7] The discovery of oil in the Gulf region in the mid-1970s leads to a subsequent Indian migration to the territory; here, Bharat begins a romantic relationship with his chief engineer Kumud Raina.[6] He volunteers for the Indian Navy and later holds the family business together during the period leading to economic liberalisation in the 1990s, all the while keeping his promise to his father.[6]
Salman Khan as Bharat
Katrina Kaif as Kumud Raina[8]
Tabu as Madhu
Sunil Grover
Disha Patani as Radha[9]
Satish Kaushik
Jackie Shroff as Bharat’s Father
Sonali Kulkarni
Mushtaq Khan
Brijendra Kala
Ivan Sylvester Rodrigues
Anant Vidhaat Sharma
Aasif Sheikh
Nora Fatehi
Manav Vij
Shashank Arora
Kashmira Irani
Varun Dhawan as a young Dhirubhai Ambani (special appearance)[10]
Bharat began principal photography in mid-April 2018,[11][12] and was shot in various locations, including Abu Dhabi, Spain, Malta, Punjab and Delhi.[13][14] Priyanka Chopra, who was cast as one of the leading ladies, opted out of the film days before filming her scenes.[15] Nikhil Namit, CEO of Reel Life Productions, said that Priyanka quit due to her engagement to Nick Jonas.[16] She was replaced by Katrina Kaif.[17] Kaif shared the news on her Instagram account that filming was wrapped up on 5 March 2019.[18][19] The climax was shot in Film City.[20]