Sikh immigrant drama ‘Dastaar’ pumps £1.2m into Hull economy after extensive local shoot

Highlights

• Nearly 95 per cent of Dastaar filmed in Hull area, unusually high for single location.
• Production spent on hotels, catering, local actors and heritage site fees.
• Film stars Tarsem Singh Jassar, explores Sikh immigrant experiences in 1980s Britain.

Andrew Fenton from Northern Films told BBC that most money went towards accommodating 130 crew members who travelled from India. Hotels and catering formed the bulk of expenditure.

Additional costs covered hiring local actors, renting equipment, sourcing period-appropriate vehicles and paying location fees at sites including Carlton Towers, a stately home near Goole. The Humber Bridge also featured in filming.

Hull's film industry

The Hindi-language film stars Tarsem Singh Jassar and draws from real experiences of Sikh immigrants who faced discrimination after arriving in Britain decades ago.

The premiere is scheduled for July, with organisers hoping to arrange a special screening in Hull.

Fenton revealed the production was originally planned for London. "I understand nearly 95 per cent of the film was shot here," he said.

"I don't think there's a film that's had that level of shooting within the same area."

He added that putting Hull locations on screen might attract other film companies to the region.

Hull has grown as a filming destination in recent years. Productions including Victoria, The Crown, Bodies, Enola Holmes and Blitz have used the Old Town area.

However, Fenton noted those shoots typically brought London-based crews for brief periods, "almost like the circus visiting the town and then leaving."

Fenton, whose company operates a production facility in Hessle, noted that developing local infrastructure could create jobs and training opportunities. This would allow residents to build film and television careers without relocating to London.

Dastaar represents what Hull's film community has sought: a production that stayed, filmed extensively and spent money locally rather than passing through briefly.