Growing up as a third-generation British Indian, Bollywood movies were my main link to the cultures, languages and ideas of the subcontinent. Through watching dialogues play out in the middle of massive fields and learning the steps to iconic dances, India was never that far away.

But seeing London on screen stirred up different emotions. Seeing Trafalgar Square, Waterloo Station, even Southall Broadway on the big screen helped me realise that diasporic experiences are just as compelling and important to audiences as 'homegrown' stories. We could even say that Bollywood claimed this city too, not just Mumbai!

So bollywood has been a lens for people to explore their relationship with their culture, their ancestors, their language. I guess that means it’s a collective thing? I know watching these movies is a much more enriching experience when I’m with friends or family!

Warm intro paragraph about the tour and its purpose

• aiming to look at the relevance this relationship has on the lives of British Asians
• the significance that the film industry has on forging collective memories among the diaspora
• bollywood as a lens for people to access the ‘homeland’

Credits and your academic affiliation if relevant

• about the project - who am I?

Hi! If you’ve made it far down enough on this page, I’m so excited for you to learn more about Filmi London, and thank you so much for your interest.

A little bit about me: My name is Gauri and I’m a Masters student at UCL studying Public History. This project is part of my final assignment, and explores the use of space and media in curating collective memories among diasporic communities within London and more broadly across the UK. This lens is really useful to public historians and those exploring heritage practice in the UK. There has been little Public history academic research that explores such a niche influence on the community, but one that is valuable for researchers and the wider public to understand in conjunction with the growing academic work on South Asian British heritage.

This Project is designed to look at the relevance of Bollywood holds for the diasporic communties of Great Britain, through it’s use of these iconic locations across london. why did they choose to come here in the first place? and what did they hope to show their audiences?

On a personal level, how does this use of location mapping make us feel as audience members? and more broadly, what kind of value do film industries hold by forging these collective memories within the diaspora?

• UCL Public History