Is Khansaar a Real Place in India?

No, that's not the Vatican. It's the make-believe city of Khansaar on Hombale Films' 'Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire'

Imagine a hidden realm, cut off from the rest of the world, allowed to develop at its own pace, on its own terms. 

You'd be forgiven for a minute to think it's Wakanda, but we're talking about Khansaar, the fictional city-state at the heart of the blockbuster Bollywood epic "Salaar."

But unlike Wakanda’s futuristic utopia, Khansaar is steeped in dystopia. This city-state is locked in a power struggle between its dominant tribes, the Ghaniyaar, Mannarsi, and Shouryaanga. Bound by the ancient laws of the Nibbhandaha, Khansaar’s sacred text, these tribes are forced to rotate leadership every 40 years in a tense, fragile balance that threatens to ignite chaos and conflict at each turn.

If Khansaar looks more European onscreen than Indian, that's because "Salaar" was filmed on location in cities such as Matera, Naples, and Rome in Italy, as well as Budapest in Hungary. The film also broke ground in Indian cinema by being the first known production to use DCT or Dark Centric Theme, a visual technique popular in Hollywood that gives the movie its neo-noir look.

The film was also shot on home turf, including Hyderabad's Ramoji Film City, where the towering wall of Khansaar, among other ambitious sets, were constructed, as well as the town of Godavarikhani in Telangana. Interestingly, India doesn't have any state or city called Khansaar (neighboring Iran has a county by that name). For director Prashanth Neel, Khansaar was a realm he had to invent. As he put it, he aimed to create "one of the most violent worlds known to humans, but something that is strongly driven by emotions." 

The overseas trips, coupled with the pioneering use of technology, paid off. Released in 2023, "Salaar" made bank to become one of the highest-grossing Indian movies of all time.