Bollywood heads for Leicester

The British city of Leicester may soon play host to a £1 million Bollywood film crew.

Director Suhas Bade, who is planning a suspense thriller, has told municipal officials here he thinks the city, which has a large population of Indian Gujarati origin, is ideal for his film. Local industry experts say he is in talks with Leicestershire's economic leaders to set a date, mostly in May.

According to reports, Bollywood studios have been speaking to the East Midlands Development Agency over the last 18 months to use Leicestershire as a film location.

Bade, a director from the Sri Adhikari Brothers Television Network stable, told a media briefing in Leicester that he had two more films in the pipeline, both of which would be made there. His network is estimated to have reached about 28 million homes across India last year.

"We want to give something new to the viewers instead of the scenery that is always used," Bade said. "Leicester is like a second home for many Indians, so it is the perfect place for my film. We will be able to use local talent from the big Asian community here. And the crew will be happy and comfortable while

we are in production."

"It will also be a good thing for the city because we will be looking for actors in supporting roles, extras, dancers, caterers and production teams. Once I make the film, production companies in India will be interested in this location. It is a fantastic opportunity for Leicester. They just have to move fast and grasp it," he claims.

Bade's company has connections with the Leicester-based MATV, an Asian television station. Vinod Popat, managing director, MATV, says, "Between the two companies, we are trying to put Leicester and the East Midlands on the world map."

EMDA's Jaideep Mukherjee says he is hopeful the projects will go ahead: "The talks we had were promising."

A final decision on whether filming will be possible in May will be made by the agency and the Leicester and Leicestershire Economic Partnership.

Kishor Taylor, from the partnership, states, "The principle is fine but we are looking at ways to move it on. Clearly, we want to encourage new businesses to the area. We are having discussions with the Leicester Asian Business Association about securing a building for the producers to use as a base."