The film is inspired by the 1987 Opera House heist, wherein a group posing as CBI officials conducted a fake raid at a Mumbai jewelry store.
Anil Kapoor’s Khel (1992) was also inspired by the same incident.
Released in 2013, Special 26 was Neeraj Pandey’s second directorial venture after the cult hit A Wednesday
Anupam Kher, one of the leads in A Wednesday, plays a con artist in Special 26. The actor had also appeared in Khel.
Ajay Devgn and Abhishek Bachchan were considered for the lead role. The part finally went to Akshay Kumar, who was actually Neeraj’s first choice
Akshay reportedly slashed his fees by half for the film.
Kajal Aggarwal has a special appearance as Akshay’s love interest.
The ’80s period was recreated in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Chandigarh. Mobile phones were not allowed on sets to ensure authenticity.
All male actors in the principal cast were asked to sport moustaches for the film.
The Central Bureau of Investigation requested the producers to carry the disclaimer ‘Beware of Fake CBI' in their promotional material.
Divya Dutta has only one dialogue in the film, repeated thrice.
Divya and Akshay had last worked together in Daava (1997).
Manoj Bajpayee plays the CBI officer on Akshay’s trail. This was their second collaboration after Bewafaa (2005).
Though a central character, Manoj wrapped up his portions in just 10 days.
Manoj and Akshay shot for just one day together for the film.
The film has no deleted scenes.
Manoj and Akshay were linked in a controversy during Rustom (2016), for which the latter won the National Film Award for Best Male Actor. Many felt Manoj deserved the award for Aligarh.
This was Akshay’s first and only film with Jimmy Sheirgill.
The background score was composed by Surinder Sodhi
Special 26 was screened for CBI officials on February 5, 2013.
The film’s worldwide gross stands at Rs. 129 crores
The romantic track, Mujh Mein Tu, was supposedly composed by M M Kreem in 20 mins.
Hundreds of vintage briefcases were distributed as part of the film's promotions.
A book based on the film's story was launched in 2013. It was written by M. Gabriel Khan.
The real case of the Opera House heist remains unsolved.
Other period films to feature Akshay Kumar include Rustom, Action Replayy and the upcoming Bellbottom
Special 26 was remade in Tamil as Thaanaa Serndha Koottam in 2018.
In the final scene, Akshay and Anupam Kher are seen watching a match at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in UAE.
The soundtrack album of Special 26 was composed by noted South Indian film composer M. M. Keeravani credited as M. M. Kreem.
Himesh Reshammiya, was roped in as the guest composer for the song 'Gore Mukhde Pe Zulfen' which was written by Shabbir Ahmed.
As a part of promotions, Akshay Kumar, with the rest of the cast, visited the crime spot of the incident that inspired the film
Since the film is set in late-1980s, the title was designed to resemble the type-face of newspapers back then
