Tax breaks, locations and YRF return

Britain on Friday locked in three Hindi-language productions for 2026 under a film-and-creative pact with India, with officials telling Reuters the move effectively restores the U.K. as Bollywood’s favorite overseas backlot after nearly a decade of slowdown. The projects — all backed by Mumbai majors, including Yash Raj Films — will shoot across London, Yorkshire and Scotland, tapping the U.K.’s 25% rebate for international features and a fast-tracked visa lane for Indian crews. The announcement updates October’s political pledge and puts calendar dates, studio space and estimated job numbers (about 3,000) on paper. For Indian producers, the U.K. remains attractive because it offers metropolitan backdrops, predictable weather windows and access to European talent without the costs of shooting on the continent. For the British government, getting Bollywood to return in force helps showcase its post-Brexit creative-economy pitch.

Why this matters to Mumbai studios

Bollywood has spent the past few years splitting its foreign shoots between the Gulf, Eastern Europe and Thailand, often choosing price over prestige, but top stars and directors still like the cultural cachet of London street romances and Scottish song sequences. By confirming a slate this far in advance, U.K. film offices give Indian producers time to build VFX, streaming and theatrical rights around real locations — crucial now that Netflix, Prime Video and JioCinema all want day-and-date global drops. Trade analysts in Mumbai said Friday’s confirmation should also stabilize postproduction houses in London and Cardiff that specialize in Hindi-language work. If the 2026 shoots go smoothly, officials expect more studios — including ones behind action franchises — to follow, widening the pipeline beyond YRF. The larger win is symbolic: it signals that despite AI, tariff threats and domestic politics, Bollywood’s outward-looking, diasporic storytelling still has official support in two major markets.