It is considered one of the most beautiful and spectacular glens in all Scotland, a place of peace and tranquillity watched over by the highest peak in the country.

Yet the serene surroundings of Glen Nevis, at the foot of Ben Nevis, have been shattered with the arrival of the atypical sight - and sound - of tanks, armoured vehicles, gunfire and explosions. 

Bollywood film crews descended on the Highland glen for six days to shoot scenes for forthcoming high-octane blockbuster Bade Miyan Chote Miyan.

With a rumoured budget of £12 million, the much-anticipated movie brings together two of the biggest Bollywood action heroes in Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff, alongside fellow stars such as Sonakshi Sinha and Prithviraj Sukumaran. 

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Reports in India say the 100-day shoot will see production crews travel across the globe to shoot scenes in locations such as Mumbai, Abu Dhabi, London, the Austrian Alps and Saudi Arabia.

Production on Bade Miyan Chote Miyan moved to Scotland at the start of this month after filming wrapped in India, with director Ali Abbas Zafar taking to social media to post a behind-the scenes look at the shoot in Glen Nevis. 

One image shows the director posing next to a tank being used for filming, while another shows a stunt sequence being filmed in the glen, showing a large explosion going off next to the tank as it is being pursued by a light military vehicle with a soldier manning a machine gun on top. In the picture, a camera crane stretching out from a SUV is also visible. 

The Instagram post read: “There is nothing more satisfying than shooting real stunts on real location . Guns - Tanks - cars & live explosions with world one of the best technical and action crew.”

The Highland Film Commission expressed its delight in attracting the Bollywood blockbuster to the region and said it was “particularly great” to see “one of our classic Highland landscapes” featured in a major production such as Bade Miyan Chote Miyan.

A spokesperson told The Herald: “We are delighted to have attracted the Bollywood action comedy blockbuster ‘Bade Miyan Chote Miyan’ to film in the iconic Glen Nevis. It is particularly great to see one of our classic Highland landscapes featured in an international production. This really highlights the versatility of the region and wider potential to attract production companies to film here. 

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“The Highland Film Commission, run by The Highland Council, assisted the production team by involving local businesses and the community, as well as assisting with the necessary licences for the production to film in the glen for 6 days without any issues arising.

“Bollywood films are some of the most uplifting and visually stunning productions and our dramatic scenery and mythical heritage is often the perfect backdrop. The industry is also continuing to grow and represents and huge opportunity to attract more visitors from across the world to this area.  It is also always exciting to have international productions filming in the region and we can’t wait to see the final production when it’s released.” 

Scotland’s national tourism body, VisitScotland, said that Bollywood producers “have a real love affair” with the country, and revealed that its new film guide even has its own dedicated Bollywood section. 

The Herald: Filming took place in Glen Nevis.Filming took place in Glen Nevis. (Image: Peter Jolly)

A VisitScotland spokesperson said: “Bollywood filmmakers have a real love affair with Scotland and the country’s scenery and landscapes has provided the perfect backdrop for a number of films. Research shows that one in five international visitors have visited a film or TV location on holiday abroad. 

“For many communities, this has brought opportunities to grow the visitor economy with the additional spend from visitors supporting local shops, services and facilities. Our new film guide Set in Scotland has lots of inspiration for anyone interested in visiting film locations including a dedicated Bollywood section.”

Filming on the big-budget blockbuster has taken place in other parts of Scotland, with production crews spotted in Greenock earlier this week filming scenes, involving firearms,  in the town’s Clarence Street.

Last week also saw a number of streets in Paisley shut off for filming, with the town’s Shuttle Street, Brown’s Lane and George Place transformed by set designers to ‘look like the back alleys in Shanghai’ complete with Chinese market stalls, signage and vehicles. Locals reported seeing chase scenes ‘involving guns and knives’ being filmed at night. 

A Screen Scotland spokesperson said: “As we provide a confidential locations service to Film & TV productions looking to film in Scotland we can't unfortunately comment on discussions about specific productions until or unless we're able to.

“That said, Scotland’s competitive Film & TV funds, world-renowned talent, crews, facilities and locations and the UK’s attractive tax breaks continue to drive strong international interest in Scotland as a filming destination.”

Bade Miyan Chote Miyan is scheduled for release in December.