Mumbai – 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.

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 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.

“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.

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.

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.

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