London: a Bollywood hub outside India?

It is common knowledge that a lot of Indians have made their homes in London. Perhaps, this is the reason of Bollywood’s omniscient presence in London. In fact, Bollywood itself acknowledges this. A recent example of this is the premiere of a much-awaited film Raavan, which was held in London, instead of the usual in Mumbai.

Inversely, people in India, where Bollywood is followed like a religion, are equally fascinated with London and its famous locales. “Movies set in London appeal to a typical middle-class Indian aspiration — that of making it big and moving abroad some day” says London-based Bollywood blogger Siddharth Singh.

Film London’s filming co-ordinator, Melinda Knowles says “We have seen a dramatic increase in the number of Indian productions filming in London, which is why we have dedicated a separate section of the website to helping them. I think the tax breaks that are available to productions filming here certainly contribute to the number of production willing to film in London.”

“There is also a UK / India Co-production Treaty in existence now. While I don’t believe that any films have used this to date this probably has some ‘symbolic’ significance – in that it is clear that the UK and London are keen on attracting Indian productions to film here.”

While London has always been a prime location for film productions with a good budget, the numerous acting and dancing schools, along with the accessibility it provides of watching Bollywood films in almost every big theatre, London is on the center stage of the transformation and holds a testimony to the effects of Bollywood in UK.