This man is one of many in the region near Meerut who are part of workshops that create armour and weapons used in period movies of Hollywood, such as Troy etc. 

From the armour of Russell Crowe in blockbuster 'Gladiator' to the much sought after 'Valerian Steel swords' in the mega serial 'Game of Thrones'; be it the brutal power struggle among bloodthirsty gladiators in the 'Spartacus' or Gerard Butler as Leonidas leading his army of 300 to take on the might of 3 lakh Persians led by Xerxes in the heroic battle of Thermopylae, Meerut has always been in the background of these epic period battles, as provider of the impressive props.

In fact, a growing number of Hollywood producers source ancient weapons, ammunition, leather goods, attire and furniture from Meerut. Authenticity is the hallmark here. Manufacturing units here go to the extent of associating with renowned museums of Europe for authentic designs of the arms used in the medieval and dark ages. Similarly, there are producers who leave nothing to chance when producing Spanish, French, German, Samurai and Russian swords. All these are the exact replicas of the weapons used by medieval knights and warriors. The 40-year-old industry has grown tremendously in the last two decades, thanks to the advent of OTT platforms leading to a deluge of period dramas that churned out of the film studios worldwide. The half-a-dozen companies here employ close to 500 craftsmen. It is a major Indian success story that has connected this Indian town to a global industry.