Bollywood shoots in Riga

“Agent Vinod”, Latvia and India’s first-ever joint-venture film, will begin shooting on August 26 on locations in Riga, including the city centre, the Old Town, and the city’s outskirts. Bollywood film studio Illuminati Films and Latvia’s Film Angels Studio(www.angels.lv ) will jointly film several episodes of the Indian spy thriller for a total of some 40 minutes of film time. The budget is 10 millions USD.

The film, which began production in 2009, has already shot in several international locations: Moscow, Morocco, Paris, London and also India. The decision to film in Riga was taken rather suddenly. In July producer Dinesh Vijan arrived in Riga to confirm the information he had found about Riga online was accurate, and he discovered that the setting was ideal for his film. Casting is currently taking place in Riga, as one of the agent’s girlfriends will be played by a Latvian actress. Latvians are also being cast for other character roles and for extras.

The Latvian Minister of Economics, Atis Kampars, supports this project, stating, “In the last 10-15 years the Latvian film industry has unfortunately been in a downturn, and that’s why it’s very important to be once again connected to the world film industry.”

Source: filmneweurope.com