LEICESTER, February 10 2006
IANS
This East Midlands town, with its large population
of Gujarat-origin residents, is fast becoming a destination
for the Indian film industry for shooting, distribution
and post-production.
Authorities here and the University of Leicester
have undertaken several projects to promote the region
as a destination for the Indian film industry.
One of the recent films shot in Leicester was actor
John Abraham's first film, "Is Pyar Ko Kya Naam
Doon". Now Dipesh Majithia, a local film promoter
who opened a Raj Kapoor-themed restaurant recently,
has secured the British distribution rights of "Fight
Club", a new film produced by Salman Khan and
Sohail Khan Productions.
Majithia has organised a premiere for the film when
leading actors, including Dino Morea, Suniel Shetty
and Dia Mirza, will be present. The film will be released
in Britain Feb 17, with premieres planned in Feltham,
Birmingham and Leicester.
The move will strengthen Leicester's credentials
as the Bollywood capital of Britain. The East Midlands
Development Agency (EMDA) funded the Leicester: European
Capital for Indian Cinema project to explore partnerships
that organisations in Leicester and the East Midlands
region could forge with India's film and creative
industries.
Research carried out at the University of Leicester,
where the first Bollywood film was shot in the East
Midlands, has highlighted the potential of the city
and region to cater for Bollywood.
Dipesh said: "This is a thrilling opportunity
to watch a much-awaited Bollywood film and to meet
with the stars themselves. It will place Leicester
firmly on the Bollywood map as a city where films
are loved and promoted.
"Indian films have done very well in Britain
- in many instances exceeding box office takings in
India and have climbed into the UK top 10 on many
occasions.
"'Fight Club' is a lavish musical extravaganza
with action and romance and has an all star cast so
expectations are high that it will do well at the
box-office."
Other stars in the film include Zayed Khan, Rahul
Dev, Ritiesh Deshmukh, Aashish Choudhary, Sohail Khan,
Amrita Arora and Neha Dhupia.
