Film Production
Yash Raj Films to shoot three major films in UK from 2026, Starmer confirms
MUMBAI: Bollywood is heading back to Britain. Yash Raj Films, India’s leading production and distribution house, has announced plans to shoot three major films across the UK from early 2026, creating over 3,000 jobs and injecting millions of pounds into the local economy, UK prime minister Keir Starmer revealed in Mumbai today.
The announcement was made at Yash Raj Studios, which marks 20 years of operations in India on 12 October, where Starmer was joined by top UK film representatives, including the British Film Institute, British Film Commission, Pinewood Studios, Elstree Studios, and Civic Studios. The visit forms part of a two-day trade mission aimed at strengthening UK-India ties and boosting creative industry collaborations.
The UK film sector contributes 12 billion pounds annually and supports 90,000 jobs, attracting international productions with its state-of-the-art studios and iconic landscapes. After an eight-year hiatus, Yash Raj’s return highlights the growing impact of the UK-India trade deal on cultural and creative partnerships.
“Bollywood is back in Britain, and it’s bringing jobs, investment and opportunity, while showcasing the UK as a world-class filmmaking destination,” Starmer said. “This is exactly the kind of partnership our trade deal with India is designed to unlock.”
Yash Raj Films CEO Akshaye Widhani added, “The UK has always held a special place in our hearts. Iconic films like Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge were shot here, and we are thrilled to reignite our ties with the country that has always supported our creative vision. With the 30th anniversary of ddlj and the stage adaptation Come Fall in Love underway in the UK, this partnership couldn’t be more timely.”
UK culture secretary Lisa Nandy said, “Given the strength of our film industries and the deep cultural links between our nations, collaborations like this make perfect sense. Bollywood blockbusters filmed in Britain will drive growth, investment and creative exchange.”
A supporting MoU between the British Film Institute and India’s National Film Development Corporation will further strengthen co-productions, enabling filmmakers from both countries to share resources, talent, and expertise. Past collaborations, such as Slumdog Millionaire, generated around 300 million pounds for the UK from a modest 12 million pounds budget, proving the immense potential of UK-India film ventures.
Film Production
Priyanka Kaur Dhillon joins SVF Entertainment as lead for music distribution
A seasoned content dealmaker with 16 years in digital and satellite media joins the Bengali entertainment powerhouse as it pushes into the pan-India music market
Mumbai: Priyanka Kaur Dhillon has made her move. The content acquisitions and commercials veteran, most recently commercial manager at Sony Pictures Networks India, has joined SVF Entertainment as lead for music distribution, stepping into one of the more interesting briefs in regional entertainment right now.
SVF is no ordinary regional label. Over 30 years it has built a formidable legacy in Bengali cinema and music, driven by culturally resonant storytelling and a catalogue that consistently punches above its weight. Its recent success with Chiraiya underlines the point. But the Kolkata-based powerhouse now has its sights firmly set beyond Bengal, most visibly through Legacy, a rap reality series produced in collaboration with hip-hop label Kalamkaar that signals a deliberate push into the pan-India music ecosystem.
Dhillon brings precisely the kind of muscle SVF needs for that expansion. At Sony Pictures Networks India, she led film acquisition and commercials and handled music licensing across the entire satellite network. Before that, she spent nearly 15 years at Hungama, rising to assistant general manager and leading strategic content licensing for the platform’s digital entertainment business, with a particular focus on international markets. Her label relationships span the full roster: Sony Music, Universal Music, Warner Music, Believe International, Tunecore, The Orchard and a clutch of smaller aggregators. She has negotiated and closed deals with Hollywood studios, Bollywood production houses and regional content players alike, building pricing models and deal structures off data analysis rather than instinct.
Announcing the appointment, Dhillon said she was “thrilled to begin this journey with an iconic Bengali music label and content powerhouse,” adding that SVF’s “constant drive to push boundaries” was what drew her to the role.
SVF has spent three decades proving that regional does not mean limited. With a sharp commercial operator now steering its music distribution, its bid to go national just got a good deal more serious.
