Salman Khan to work with Benjamin Button's VFX team for Ali Abbas Zafar's Bharat

Mumbai: Salman Khan is one actor in the film industry who hates prosthetics - and with good reason. His neurological condition (he had undergone surgery for trigeminal neuralgia in 2011 and was cautioned against performing dangerous stunts and using make-up because his skin needs to breathe) makes it hard for him to breathe if he has a beard wig or other facial props slapped on. This is why we never see Salman in disguise.

However, very soon, the actor’s equation with prosthetics is about to change. In his next film Bharat, which is to be directed by Ali Abbas Zafar (of 'Tiger Zinda Hai' and 'Sultan' fame), Salman’s character goes through many physiological changes that will be shown on the screen. The film will have Salman ageing from approximately 17 to 65.

To get the best result and look, the makers are already in talks with the VFX team of 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'. It is the same team that even worked with Shah Rukh Khan for his film 'Fan'.

The makers, who were looking to avoid any harm to Salman, started looking for options including the hiring of a younger actor. But this idea was tossed in the bin.

A source says, “The Bharat team considered the prospect of getting a Salman look-alike to play the younger version. But Salman quickly discarded that line of thought and agreed to take on the entire role from age 17 to 65.”

Apparently, Salman will go through a series of look tests to decide his final appearance at various stages of his character’s life. “All the prosthetics may aggravate his neurological condition. But it’s a risk Salman will take for the sake of authenticity,” says a source close to the project.

The film is slated to release on Eid 2019.