THE moors of northern Britain are not exactly the typical scene for a grandiose Bollywood film.

Nor are a school in central Middlesbrough, the beach at the east Cleveland town of Saltburn, or the cobbled streets of York.

But then Bollywood film producer Kashif Khan believes his all-singing, all-dancing film is unique in movie history.

Mr Khan, from London, says his love story, the £4m Ye Jaan Bhi Tumari, Ye Dil Bhi Pumhara (My Life is Yours, My Heart is Yours) is not only the first Indian film to be shot in the region, but the first purely British-Asian, Bollywood-style movie.

"Of the whole team, that's 27 character actors, 150 extras, 100 dancers and 22 crew, I would say 98 per cent are British," said Mr Khan on his last day of filming in the region yesterday.

"There is so much untapped British-Asian talent and so much interest in these movies that I simply had to do this."

Not that the two months Mr Khan and his team have spent in the region have been without their troubles. Three weeks worth of film, stills and important equipment were stolen from near the crew's base in the centre of Middlesbrough.

Mr Khan added: "We had wanted to shoot 80 per cent of the film here, but I'd say only about an eighth was done so.

"We're having to relocate to Birmingham and London for the rest. It's a shame because you have a good-looking, dramatic area here."

But he said: "We are planning a second film for next April and we may return, although we would not return to Middlesbrough town centre as a base again because of theft.

"But I can say the people were lovely here. We've really enjoyed our stay and we hope millions will see the area across the world, especially Britain."