 Dabangg 's shooting took place primarily in Wai and the United Arab Emirates . The shooting commenced in September 2009 . Production designer <unk> Khan drew over 100 sketches detailing out every set in the film . The cinematography was performed by Mahesh <unk> . The first schedule began in the town of Wai and continued for 45 days , during which Sonu Sood , the main antagonist fractured his nose . A schedule , primarily involving a song shoot , was captured in the Khalid Bin Al Waheed station in Dubai , making Dabangg the first film to be shot there . Some scenes were also filmed at the Emirates Palace hotel in Abu Dhabi . 
