Bollywood comes to Britain: three blockbusters to be made in the UK from next year

Three new Bollywood blockbusters will be made in the UK from next year, the Prime Minister has announced in Mumbai today.

Yash Raj Film, India's leading film production and distribution company, have 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. 

To mark the announcement, the Prime Minister visited Yash Raj Studios in Mumbai today alongside a delegation of some of Britain's biggest names in film including the British Film Institute, the British Film Commission, Pinewood Studios, Elstree Studios and Civic Studios.

The Prime Minister is on a two-day trade mission to strengthen ties with one of the fastest growing economies in the world and put money back into the pockets of hard-working British people. That includes deepening the collaboration of the UK and India's globally renowned creative industries.

The UK film industry contributes £12 billion 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.

India is the largest producer of films in the world, and Yash Raj's commitment follows an 8-year hiatus from filming in the UK – showcasing the impact the UK-India trade deal is already having.

The UK's creative industries are globally recognised as world-leading, consistently setting international trends and commanding respect for artistic excellence, commercial success and cultural influence worldwide.

As a country of 1.4 billion with a growing entertainment industry, India represents a major opportunity for UK companies to expand and grow – and vice versa.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:

“Bollywood is back in Britain, and it's 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.”

Yash Raj Films' CEO Akshaye Widhani said: 

“The UK holds a very special place in our hearts and some of our most iconic films, including Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ) were shot in this beautiful and incredibly hospitable country.

“We were honoured to host the UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer at YRF today to ink this pact and also had the pleasure to discuss how India and UK could come together to push the content landscape globally through landmark collaborations like this. 

“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 the stage adaptation of DDLJ, the English musical titled Come Fall in Love (CFIL) in the UK too. 

“So, we are thrilled to join hands with UK again and return to filming in the country that has always been extremely kind to us. UK's infrastructure, technology and talent is unmatched and we are delighted to deepen our cultural ties with a country that has always empowered us to excel creatively.”

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."

Today's announcement is the latest example of how the UK's deepening partnerships with India's booming cultural scene will create new jobs, drive investment and bolster creative content in the UK, while celebrating our valuable people-to-people links.

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

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

BFI Chief Executive Ben Roberts said: 

“The UK and India are two great film making 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. '

Adrian Wootton OBE, Chief Executive of the British Film Commission, said: 

“We're extremely proud of the deep and rich relationship the UK enjoys with India in film. We share many cultural reference points, not to mention business interests. I'm confident that, working with such major Indian film companies as Yash Raj Films, we will open the door to even greater creative collaborations and economic opportunities between the UK and India”. 

Andrew M Smith OBE DL, Corporate Affairs Director, Pinewood Group:

“I am delighted to represent Pinewood Group on this special envoy to meet our industry colleagues in Mumbai, home of Bollywood. This 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.”

Rebecca Hawkes, Head of Elstree Studios, said:  

“As Elstree celebrates its centenary there couldn't be a more appropriate time to visit India, a country with an equally rich and distinguished cinematic heritage. 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:

“As a UK-India media company, Civic Studios is proud to be part of this historic delegation. We're 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. We're thrilled that the delegation provides opportunities to strengthen ties across India and the UK."