Hospital Bollywood movie premiere

Many scenes were filmed in the hospital

A glitzy premiere of a Bollywood film is being staged in Wrexham after the opening scenes were filmed in the town's hospital.

Wrexham Maelor Hospital became one of the main locations of Bhavishya (The Future) after it was written by one of its eye consultants.

Nikhil Kaushik, 56, also directed and edited the film with most of the 80-strong cast real hospital staff.

The first showing will be at Wrexham's NEWI college on Friday.

In true Bollywood style, the film is based on romance with music and dance.

Described as a medical love story linking Wales and India, the £100,000 production was largely funded by Mr Kaushik - much of it from bonuses he received for reducing hospital waiting lists.

Most of the cast are workers at the hospital, although actor Saeed Jaffrey who is known for his roles in films including A Passage to India and My Beautiful Laundrette, is one of the stars.

Nikhil Kaushik funded the film out of his hospital bonus

Many scenes were also filmed at the hospital with wards and operating theatres opened at weekends and evenings while others scenes were shot in Dubai and India

The consultant ophthalmic surgeon who came to the hospital in 1987 said he wanted to paint an accurate view of what life was like for doctors.

"I always felt the medical profession is not projected properly as it should in the media," he said.

"Usually they are seen either fighting over resources or arguing with each other - that's not what it is really like."

But he came up against some tough opposition from his wife when he told her what he wanted to spend his bonus on.

"Some people thought I was mad and that includes some of my very close family," he said.

"The bonus was additional income so it was an argument between me and my wife - she wanted an extension to the house.

"I wasn't very popular when I put the money into the film."

Star Saeed Jaffrey makes a cameo appearance

Mr Kaushik had thought about travelling to Mumbai or London to find professional actors for the film, but said he decided to use health professionals instead.

"Everybody who plays a doctor in the film is a doctor," he said.

"It's a reality-based love story, the first of its kind starring real people playing real characters."

The story revolves around a young Indian doctor who comes to the UK for three-months and meets a man whom she falls in love with.

Mr Kaushik is now looking for distributors in the UK and India to show the film.

Wales' scenery is no stranger to providing the backing for Bollywood movies after initiatives to attract producers by the Wales Screen Commission.

Richard Coomes from the commission helped find other backdrops for the film in the area.

"Never mind the film itself, the story of how it came to be made is remarkable in itself," he said.