Shah Rukh Khan in Malaysian jail

Here's how he and the cast avoided being hypnotised by prisoners during the shoot

With long tresses, an overgrown stubble and a rugged yet cool demanour, Shah Rukh Khan looks every inch a don. The flaming orange overalls add to the mood, as he packs punches with prison inmates in a fearless, muddy look. And this is no ordinary prison; the scene Don 2 - The Chase was shot in a real prison in Malaysia!

Director Farhan Akhtar is still reeling from the "strange and eerie silence" of the jail. The highly anticipated film is the first one to be shot in Malacca prison, and a complete section of the prison block was made available for the shoot. About 700 prisoners were air-lifted and moved to another cell to accommodate the filming.

And the Don's junglee billi Roma - aka Priyanka Chopra in a cop's role - was anxious to "break the rules". One theory doing the rounds was that the prisoners could hypnotise people, hence the crew was told to avoid making eye contact with them. PC wanted to find out if this was true, but had to adhere by the rules. "Even though we never came in contact with the inmates, our movements inside the prison were restricted. It was like being locked up!" adds the leading lady.

"The prisoners would stand facing the wall whenever we drove from one cell block to another. Whenever any prisoner tried to turn and look at us from the corner of their eye, they were screamed at," says Boman Irani, who plays a pivotal role in the film. With Shah Rukh's strong fan base among the Malays and him being conferred the prestigious Malaysian title of Datuk (akin to a British knighthood), it became easy to get permission to shoot in Malacca. But a lot of security measures were taken to facilitate it. Once the crew entered the premises in the morning, they could leave only when the shoot was over and everyone had to exit together. Besides that, actors and crew members were not allowed to carry their cellphones or laptops into the prison.

Produced by Ritesh Sidhwani, Don 2 - The Chase Continues is slated to release on December 23.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-interviews/Shah-Rukh-Khan-in-Malaysian-jail/articleshow/10943426.cms