Newcastle wins the hearts of Bollywood

Sep 1 2008 by Sam Wonfor, The Journal

HIGH drama unfolded in Newcastle City Centre yesterday when a red VW Beetle flipped and rolled its way down Grey Street.

There was no need to panic though... the dramatic crash was planned right down to the last wing-mirror crack.

Rocky Taylor, one of the world’s top stunt co-ordinators, had orchestrated the action for a scene in Bollywood film, Kaun Bola.

Film location manager Lee Alliston said: “It went as well as we would have ever dreamed it could have gone. We’ve had so much co-operation from the city council, the police – everyone. They’ve been brilliant.”

So brilliant, in fact, that Mr Alliston is planning to start preparations for two more Bollywood films he is producing to be shot in the city.

He said: “It’s just such a breath of fresh air after London. Everyone has been so helpful... why wouldn’t you want to shoot a film here?”

Preparations started for yesterday’s £50,000 stunt at dawn. And with every rehearsal came a bigger crowd of spectators.

As many city dwellers and workers will have noticed, the crew have been shooting the Bollywood action comedy for the past couple of months.

Heart-throb Arshad Warsi – Bollywood’s answer to Brad Pitt – stars as an unwitting medium who is being contacted by people in the afterlife who need help passing over into the hereafter.

Yesterday’s scene finds the film’s main female character Genna screeching round the corner opposite Newcastle Theatre Royal before swerving to avoid a pedestrian and flipping.

Hence the fetching yellow chiffon number and wig which was being worn gallantly by stunt driver Rob Hunt, affectionately labelled “Rosie” by stunt legend, Rocky.

Listing the Batman, Indiana Jones, James Bond, Pink Panther, Superman and Highlander film franchises among his hundreds of film credits, Rocky has doubled for both Roger Moore and Sean Connery and was delighted with yesterday’s proceedings.

Mr Alliston said: “Rocky was absolutely over the moon. He’s jumping for joy with everyone else. It’s not very often everything goes right like it did today.”

After the initial drama of the actual stunt, hours of shooting the scene again and again followed to ensure that it all looks ever more dramatic by the time it hits the screen in April 2009.

Mr Alliston said: “The car will look like it flipped seven times rather than three. We’ve been using a winch to roll it over and over. It’s going to be great.”

The Newcastle portion of the shoot will finish on September 10 and will be followed by a 10-day shoot in Goa, India.

Mr Alliston said: “The initial plan was to do half of the UK filming in Newcastle and half in London... but we’ve ended up doing it all here and I couldn’t be happier.”

More films boost region's economy

THE news that two more Bollywood films are en route to Tyneside was warmly welcomed last night.

It follows the successful shooting of Kaun Bola and Apni Boli Apna Des (Our Language, Our Country) this summer and can only strengthen the region’s position for future Bollywood productions.

Lee Alliston, the location manager on Kaun Bola, said: “Northern Film and Media (NFM) have been trying to get me here for a couple of years. I really didn’t want to spend another summer shooting in London, so we came to have a look and it was just great. I didn’t hesitate when the opportunity to produce two more films came up. I wanted to do them here... and we’re going to.”

Lee is hoping for more action, like yesterday’s all-flipping, all-crashing stunt. He said: “I’m hoping there’ll be lots more of that... it’s great fun to do.”

James Hails, NFM communications manager, said: “It is important we secure the benefits of working with one of the biggest film industries in the world – £7m is generated every year by films shooting in the North-East, which translates into £20,000 a day for our economy.”