Bollywood movie, Shaandaar is released today and film-goers may recognise a number of Yorkshire landmarks appearing.
Starring Shahid Kapoor and Alia Bhatt, this latest film from Vikas Bahl is described as a “quirky comedy set to a backdrop of elegance and grandeur.”
The production filmed throughout the autumn of 2014 at Yorkshire locations including Allerton Castle near Harrogate, Skipton’s Broughton Hall, Eddsfield Airfield in Driffield and Low Force Waterfall near Barnard Castle, County Durham.
The main base was Carlton Towers in North Yorkshire, where the castle exterior played the backdrop for the majority of the film.
“Filming in Yorkshire was great. The countryside here is beautiful and very different from anywhere else in England or Europe. We had Leeds as our base, filming was easy and comfortable as permits were easy to obtain and the people here know about film shoots which made it even more comfortable. We’d love to come round again soon,” said Vivek Bajrang Agrawal, producer.
His team worked alongside Creative England’s production services to secure locations, filming permissions and crew for the film.
“Shaandaar is one of a number of international feature films Creative England’s Production Services Team has supported in Yorkshire in the last year. The film is visually stunning, a testament to the rich and varied landscape Yorkshire offers to the film industry,” added Chris Hordley, production liaison manager for Yorkshire at Creative England.
“But our work is not just about bringing fantastic locations to the screen – by working with local studios, facility companies and freelance crew we are helping to grow the creative industries in the regions putting Yorkshire firmly on the international filming map.”
Also featuring in the film were Goathland railway station in North Yorkshire, the beach at Saltburn-by-the-sea, the gardens and farm at Temple Newsam in West Yorkshire and Leeds’ Grand Theatre and Opera House.
Originally the film had been planned for central Europe, but that changed following a 3-day recce with Leeds-based line producer Karl Hall. Prime Studios in Leeds became the main production base.
