Hong Kong romantic comedy “My Indian Boyfriend” is being remade for British audiences, with the production set in Leicester in the U.K.
The remake will be executive produced by Sri Kishore, who directed the original Hong Kong film, and U.K.-based Hong Kong creative Hiu Man Chan. Leicester filmmaker Vijay Chauhan will make his feature directorial debut with the project.
The announcement holds particular significance for the region, as the Hong Kong original opened the inaugural edition of Leicester’s Chinese film festival, Electric Shadows. The remake, which will carry the working subtitle “Golden Mile,” a reference to a section of the city’s Belgrave Road known for its South Asian jewelry shops, brings the project full circle as a local Leicester production.
“My Indian Boyfriend” was marketed as Hong Kong’s first mainstream romantic drama centered on a South Asian male lead, offering a portrayal of interracial love. The original film, directed by Hong Kong-based Indian filmmaker Kishore, blends romance, drama and youth culture with social tensions surrounding migration, identity and family expectations in contemporary Hong Kong. It was a bilingual feature in the Cantonese and Hindi languages.
Kishore said: “Collaborating with Hiu Man Chan and debut director Vijay Chauhan, I am grateful for this opportunity to highlight a cross-cultural narrative that resonates deeply within the U.K. This inspiring story intertwines the rich traditions of Chinese and Indian heritages, aiming to foster unity and celebrate diversity. I look forward to seeing how it will entertain and enrich lives.”
The U.K. remake will adapt the film’s themes of love, identity and cultural negotiation to a British context, drawing on Leicester’s ethnically diverse population. The city provides a backdrop for exploring the meeting points and friction points between cultures.
“I’m excited to bring a movie about different cultures to such a diverse city like Leicester,” Chauhan said. “I think Leicester deserves more recognition in this industry and I hope that we can achieve that with this film. As this is my feature film debut, I’m really looking forward to taking in the entire experience and learning as much as I can to better my career as a filmmaker.”
Chan, an academic in creative industries at De Montfort University in Leicester and founder of NGO U.K.-China Film Collab, emphasized the significance of anchoring a cross-continental remake in the East Midlands.
“This project will show what Leicester is capable of,” Chan said. “We’re connecting contemporary Hong Kong cinema and British independent film in a way that places the East Midlands firmly on the global map. This will not just be a remake adaptation – but it’s also a statement about the region’s creativity, ambition, international links and imagination.”
Chan also serves as executive producer for a biopic feature on Nobel Prize winner Bertrand Russell and previously led U.K. distribution for Hong Kong box office hit “Four Trails” and World War II documentary “The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru.”
The production aims to work with local creatives, universities and community partners, generating opportunities for early-career filmmakers and expanding the region’s film footprint.
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