Salman cracks the 'code’

Though Salman Khan has decided to tread the path of Tom Hanks, he might not necessarily land himself in trouble the way the Hollywood actor did. Tom kicked up a storm when it was announced that the filmed version of The Da Vinci Code will be shot at the Louvre in Paris and the museum authorities promptly filed an objection making the place out of bounds for the film crew. The museum authorities relented later allowing a blockbuster to be born in 2006, three years after the book was published.

Now three years later, Bertrand Delanoë – the mayor of Paris, has personally cleared a file allowing Salman Khan to shoot at the same spots where Tom did. The permission, which also had a clearance from the French ministry of culture, came with a price tag of one lakh euros (about Rs 65 lakh).

“The mayor of Paris cleared the shooting schedule of London Dreams at the Louvre museum. We wanted to shoot at the same spots where The Da Vinci Code was shot and we also wanted some additional sequences to be shot at the museum at night. Each shift cost me 25,000 euros,” says Vipul Shah, the producer of the film.

What’s more, while The Da Vinci Code begins with a sensational murder at the museum which also famously houses Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, Salman will be seen singing to woo his ladylove Asin at the same spot!

“There is a song sequence that has been shot there. It was critical to the narrative,” adds Vipul.

The museum of course laid out a condition that the crew won’t be able to get anywhere near the Mona Lisa painting. “The film crew was not permitted near the painting which is a prime attraction for tourists but we were allowed to shoot near the famous glass pyramid which is a critical part of the narrative in The Da Vinci Code.”