A TOUCH of Bollywood glamour came to a quiet corner of the borough last week, as one of the industry's biggest stars arrived to shoot scenes from his latest film.
Indian movie star Rishi Kapoor was in Meadway, Woodford Green, to shoot his latest film Patiala House last week.
The Hindi-language film follows the fortunes of Ghattu Patiala as he grows up in Southall, and his dreams of one day playing for England in the cricket World Cup.
During the filming, the quiet turning became a hive of activity, as the cul-de-sac was transformed into the home of Patiala family, complete with vehicles and signs from the family's taxi business.
The scenes filmed in Woodford Green were originally going to be shot on location in Southall itself, but the production team knew from previous experience that to do so would draw huge crowds from the large Indian population in the area.
The location has been recreated entirely on in a studio in Mumbai for shooting of the interior scenes – which in the film includes a row of four terraced houses knocked into one to accommodate the large extended family.
The film, which will be released later this year, also features cameos by a number of former professional cricketers, including ex-England captains Nasser Hussain (a former pupil of Forest School in Snaresbrook), Graham Gooch, David Gower and Ian Botham.
A number of parts of Redbridge have been used as film location in recent years.
Mike Leigh's latest film Another Year, which was a contender for the prestigious Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival this year, was shot partly in Wanstead.
Scenes from British vampire horror film Dead Cert – starring Jason Flemyng, Danny Dyer and Dexter Fletcher – were shot in Aldersbrook Cemetery in Wanstead in November last year.
The borough has also been used for television adverts, including Marks & Spencer's 2005 Christmas campaign, when Ilford Town Hall was covered in fake snow.
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