Rain in Lunedale a setback for big-budget Bollywood film
WHEN Bollywood decided to make India's first "destination wedding film" inTeesdale, the millionaire actors could have been forgiven for not being familiar with local weather conditions.
But they soon found out exactly what Teesdale had in store for them when Lunedale was selected for filming.
Persistant rain and low clouds disrupted filmmaking this month but the team vowed to return. The B6276 in Lunedale was closed for periods while the crew tried to shoot scenes of a stunt-double on a motorcycle meandering down the valley.
The crew were highly secretive about their work, but a location scout revealed they were filming a scene of the star travelling between places. The crew had filmed scenes at Low Force this summer when the weather was much kinder. The scout said: "The reason we chose Low Force was for its beauty and elegance, and for the tranquility of the area. Low Force fits everything."
Filming will continue in Leeds for the next few weeks, before the Bollywood team makes a return to Lunedale to complete the sequence that had been rained out.
It is understood the film is to be called Shandaar. It features major Bollywood star Shahid Kapoor in the lead role.
The production of the Hindi romantic comedy movie is hot gossip in India. There are regular reports in the media and film buffs have been keen to post photos of the stars on social media. A spokesman said: "Shandaar is Bollywood's first destination wedding film and it is a big fat Shandaar' (fabulous) Indian wedding, which is actually a merger between two of the biggest business families of India that takes place at an exotic castle in Europe."
The movie is being directed by a critically acclaimed director and is also being shot in Poland.
Filming is due to finish in this country in mid-November and Shandaar is due to be released next year.
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