A Lollywood film has received its premiere in Bradford, which was originally planned as the location for the movie.

Larki Punjaban was screened at a special preview at The Odeon cinema in Thornbury.

Problems with visas for the cast meant that instead of being filmed around Clayton, Frizinghall, Calverley and other UK locations as planned, the film was shot in India and Pakistan.

Lollywood films - those filmed in Lahore, Pakistan - usually have a glittering premiere on the Asian sub-continent but the production company's Bradford-based marketing manager made sure it was held in his home city.

Marketing and distribution manager for Paragon Pictures International. Raja Tariq Mehmood, of Undercliffe, said: "The film is a love-story between an Indian girl and a young man from Pakistan.

"It is two cultures, two faiths, one love story. We originally wanted the girl to be from England and we had hoped to do some of the filming in Bradford - I had seem some of the houses in Clayton we could have used. But we got so frustrated with problems with visas and not being able to get some of the cast members over here that we had to change the story and make the girl from Malaysia.

"These films are usually premiered in India and Pakistan first but we wanted to bring it to Bradford because we are a Yorkshire company and in the original script Bradford would have featured a lot."

The film is due for general release in the UK, USA, India and Pakistan on November 21.

The film was conceived by Syed Noor, a prominent Pakistani director, and was co-directed by Shashilal Nair, a celebrated Indian director.

The film tells the story of a Sikh girl, Preetam, who falls in love with Muslim Shamyl Khan when visiting Lahore. They struggle to cross the cultural divide as their parents prejudices threaten to keep the lovers apart.

The premiere was attended by members of the Paragon production company from Huddersfield and some of Bradford's Sikh community.

General manager of the Odeon cinema Cliff Bailey said: "We are absolutely delighted to be involved with the premiere of this very important film. It is brilliant for us to be able to help launch a film of this quality in Bradford."