After its lead casts being announced at Hong Kong’s FILMART and Cannes film market earlier, Leicester based production My Indian Boyfriend: The Golden Mile is rounding out its cast with supporting roles for locally sourced talent.
Vijay Chauhan’s debut feature film, a UK remake of the Hong Kong romance My Indian Boyfriend, has found its supporting casts in homegrown talent.
Leicester based performers Shonatya, Kamen Pereira, Rishi Singh and Tom Botterill have all landed roles in the film as part of the male lead’s (Sushant Shekhar) trusted inner circle. They are also friends of the director.
Shonatya, a poet and musician from Leicester, tells us her thoughts about joining the project:
“I’m super excited and grateful to be a part of this film for many reasons, One being that I get to watch Vijay’s wonderful storytelling spring to life from paper to screen, which I have no doubt about being exceptional, and another being pure excitement to see a city that myself and many others are so familiar with come to life through film. I can’t wait to see the result.”
The talents mentioned here all took up roles to help Chauhan make his first short film Park Bench last year. The film was then screened as part of MohJoh fest, a Midlands based film showcase founded by Botterill and Singh who are also filmmakers under the ‘MohJoh’ banner.
Tom Botterill spoke about his thoughts on teaming up with Chauhan again on the production:
“I’m really excited to be a part of a project that is such a labour of love from everyone involved. I love genre films and, having worked with Vijay before, I know he’s going to bring so much heart to the project and I’m grateful have been trusted with playing a role in that. Especially on my own doorstep.”
Kamen Pereira (Tyde) is a British R&B music artist, known for his heartfelt lyricism, smooth vocals, and infectious melodies. Blending contemporary R&B with alternative influences, Tyde brings a fresh perspective to the UK music scene through bold storytelling, fiery wordplay, and emotionally driven song writing. Pereira told us,
“Growing up in Leicester, I often felt my creative opportunities were limited. For much of my teenage years, I believed success meant leaving the city behind and moving to London to find the right network and opportunities. It wasn’t until after university that I realised there was another path creating those opportunities ourselves.
Together with my close friends, known collectively as ASG, we’ve worked to build the kind of creative spaces we always wished existed growing up. I’m proud to represent Leicester and excited to help showcase the incredible talent, culture, and beauty the city has to offer.”
The team behind My Indian Boyfriend: The Golden Mile have been extremely keen to highlight the talent and work ethic that comes from the Midlands, Leicester especially, and these casting further demonstrate that intent.
Supporting Cast Credits:
Shonatya as “Mia”
Kamen Pereira as “Mick”
Rishi Singh as “Anay”
Tom Botterill as “Cole
