UK PM Starmer visits YRF Studios in Mumbai, bats for deepening film collaboration

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Wednesday visited the Yash Raj Films (YRF) Studios in suburban Andheri and announced that major Indian production houses including the YRF will make movies across locations in the UK.

The British PM, on a two-day visit to India, was accompanied by a delegation of his country's film industry including representatives of the British Film Institute, British Film Commission, Pinewood Studios, Elstree Studios and Civic Studios.

Three new Bollywood films will be made in the United Kingdom from the next year, a statement by the British High Commission quoted Starmer as saying.

Flying in from London earlier in the day, Starmer drove to the YRF Studios amid heavy police security.

Also Read: UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrives in Mumbai

Meeting with Indian Film Industry Leaders

He met several Indian producers including YRF CEO Akshaye Widhani, YRF chairperson Aditya Chopra's actor wife Rani Mukerji, Dinesh Vijan from Maddock Films, Ritesh Sidhwani of Excel Entertainment and Apoorva Mehta of Dharma Productions and Producers Guild of India President Shibasish Sarkar, among others.

"Bollywood is back in Britain, and it is bringing jobs, investment and opportunity, all while showcasing the UK as a world-class destination for global filmmaking. This is exactly the kind of partnership our trade deal with India is destined to unlock, driving growth, strengthening cultural ties and delivering for communities across the country," Starmer said in his statement.

YRF Plans UK Productions

YRF has confirmed plans to bring their major productions to locations across the United Kingdom from early 2026, creating over 3,000 jobs and boosting the economy by millions of pounds, according to the British High Commission.

The meeting between the British prime minister and Indian producers lasted for about 30 to 40 minutes, a source said.

YRF CEO on UK Collaboration

"We were honoured to host the UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer at YRF today to ink this pact (about collaboration for film production) and also had the pleasure to discuss how India and the UK could come together to push the content landscape globally," YRF CEO Widhani said.

"It is truly special to reignite YRF and UK's filming ties in the 30th anniversary of DDLJ -- a film that is synonymous to UK-India's relationship. Our company is currently producing a stage adaptation of DDLJ, the English musical titled Come Fall in Love' (CFIL) in the UK too....The UK's infrastructure, technology and talent are unmatched," he noted.

UK Film Industry and Cultural Impact

The film production and distribution company, known for movies such as Kabhi Kabhie, Chandni, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Darr, Dhoom, Veer Zaara, Ek Tha Tiger, War, and Pathaan among others, was founded by the late filmmaker Yash Chopra in 1970. He built the YRF Studios in Andheri in 2005.

The UK film industry contributes 12 billion pounds a year to the economy and supports 90,000 jobs across every region of the country. It is a sought-after destination for international filmmakers thanks to its world-leading studio infrastructure and iconic backdrops, the British High Commission said in its statement.

Past Indian productions have yielded global hits. Cross-cultural hit film Slumdog Millionaire brought in around 300 million pounds to the UK economy, on a budget of just 12 million pounds, highlighting what's possible when UK's technical expertise and Indian storytelling unite, it added.

MoUs and Statements from UK and Indian Leaders

British Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said, "The UK's and India's film industries are truly world class, entertaining billions around the world. Given the strength of our sectors and the deep cultural ties between our two countries, partnerships between Bollywood and British studios make complete sense. By making these Bollywood blockbusters in Britain we will be driving more growth in our world-class creative industries, as we committed to in our Creative Industries Sector Plan."

Supporting this further will be a cooperation agreement (MoU) between the British Film Institute and the National Film Development Corporation of India, which will reinvigorate co-production and enable filmmakers from both countries to share resources and talent, the British High Commission statement said.

BFI Chief Executive Ben Roberts said India and the UK are two great filmmaking and film-loving nations with deep cultural ties, and this trip fuels an exciting new future together.

"Our respective governments recognise that our screen industries working closer together unlocks opportunities to strengthen cultural diversity, support industry growth and expand audiences, and our new MOUs are designed to take us closer to achieving this. In the UK, we want to welcome more production from India and build more collaboration and co-production between our nations for us to benefit economically and culturally," he said.

Adrian Wootton, Chief Executive of the British Film Commission, said working with such major Indian film companies as YRF, the two countries will open the door to even greater creative collaborations and economic opportunities.

Andrew M Smith, Corporate Affairs Director, Pinewood Group said the trip is a chance to learn and understand different perspectives and make new connections as well as find ways to collaborate and continue to produce movies that resonate with a global audience.

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Rebecca Hawkes, Head of Elstree Studios, said this trip is a tremendous opportunity to build on existing relationships and develop productive new links between two global film and television powerhouses.

Anushka Shah, CEO of Civic Studios said, "We are here to forge bold, new creative partnerships that spotlight social impact films like our upcoming release Christmas Karma directed by Gurinder Chadha, as well as our growing portfolio of climate media work - we believe the future of the planet needs a better script, and one that brings the global north and south together."

Producers Guild of India President Sarkar, who was present at the meeting, said they are committed to deepen the ties between the filmmaking communities in India and UK.

"The United Kingdom is already a popular destination for Indian filmmakers who choose to film abroad and the time is right now to take that engagement to the next level by widening and deepening ties between the filmmaking communities of both nations," he said.

PTI