A schoolgirl from Hayes is one of the stars of an eagerly awaited Bollywood blockbuster.
Arshpreet Sehdev, who is just five years old, lives with her family in Birchway.
She makes her big screen debut in Total Siyapaa, a star-studded romantic comedy, shot in London and costing 800,000,000 Indian rupees – approximately £774,880 – a big budget for Bollywood. It is due for release on Friday (see trailer below)
Unsurprisingly, given her young age, the pupil at Guru Nanak Sikh Academy, in Springfield Road, Hayes, has not acted before.
Her mother, Pritpal, said: “We are very proud of her. We haven’t seen the film yet, but the whole family will be going to Cineworld to watch it on Friday.
“She knows that the film will be coming on the big screen, and she is really excited – we all are.”
Total Siyapaa (Total Chaos) tells the story of Aman, a Pakistani, and his attempts to win over his girlfriend Asha’s orthodox Punjabi parents, with hilarious and embarrassing consequences.
It stars renowned Pakistani actor and musician Ali Zafar, Bollywood beauty Yami Gautam, and Anupam Kher, who was also in last year’s Oscar-winning Hollywood drama Silver Linings Playbook, and Bend It Like Beckham.
Veteran actress Kirron Kher stars opposite her real husband, Anupam, in the film. Mrs Sehdev said it was she who picked Arshpreet.
The pint-sized performer auditioned for the role of Anjali Singh, the baby of Asha’s family, last March. The film’s casting team flew over from Mumbai, the Indian film capital, to audition dozens of girls.
Within days of being given the news she had been chosen, Arshpreet and her mother were on set at Wimbledon Studios and in Earl’s Court. Her scenes took 10 days to shoot.
Mrs Sehdev said the film’s A-listers made them feel welcome.
“They were all so nice and friendly – it was like a big family.
“Arshpreet enjoyed it so much, and even now she asks me when we are going to go back to the studio. Who knows, maybe this will lead to other things for her.”
Such has been the anticipation for the film internationally that its January release date was postponed to capitalise on the growing hype and to ramp up international promotion.
Total Siyapaa was made by Reliance Entertainment, a leading Indian production company, and is directed by Eeshwar Nivas.
