Bollywood union vetoes Australian shoots

Bollywood’s largest union has banned film shoots in Australia following a spate of racial attacks on Indian students studying there.

The Federation Of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) has called on its members to halt their filming schedules in order to send a strong message to the country.

Leader Dinesh Chaturvedi said: "We prefer to call it a non-cooperation movement because we feel what is happening in Australia is painful and shameful. The Australian government is just not taking adequate steps to find the culprits."

The nation has been used as a film location for features such as Heyy Babyy, Singh Is Kinng and Love Story 2050.

Director Siddharth Anand said: “My films Salaam Namaste and Tara Rum Pum Pum were entirely shot in Australia. I strongly condemn what's happening there.

“The people there have been very warm and hospitable during the shooting of both my films in their country. But something drastic has to be done to stop these attacks. Until then, I'd definitely be in two minds about shooting in Australia.”

Last week, Amitabh Bachchan rejected an honorary doctorate from a Brisbane university, citing his concerns about the racially motivated incidents.