Helen Clark hangs out with Bollywood stars

By RUTH BERRY in Mumbai

Bollywood's Hrithik Roshan was recently voted India's most sexy film star and when it comes to locations it is New Zealand that has stolen his heart.

His film "Say I Love You" was shot here and is credited with attracting thousands of Indian tourists and students to New Zealand.

Helen Clark began the Mumbai (formerly Bombay) leg of her state visit to India by presenting a certificate thanking Mr Roshan, his co-star Amisha Patel and Mr Roshan's father and director of the film Rakesh Roshan for their contribution to New Zealand.

"Now I know what it feels like to be a film star," she joked, referring to the hordes of Indian media who had turned up for a glimpse of the stars.

"The Government wanted to acknowledge the success of the film and what it has done to strengthen the relationship between the two countries."

The movie, a love story shot in Queenstown in 2000, received 102 awards and recording success in India. Helen Clark said.

"In shooting the film you introduced New Zealand and its great beauty to so many countless viewers not only in India but around the world," she told the stars.

Around 3000 Indian tourists a year were visiting New Zealand at that time and the number has now increased to around 18,000. Helen Clark said the film had to take some of the credit for that.

The declarations of affection went both ways, with Mr Roshan senior saying the location had helped the film to be a success.

Hrithrik Roshan said he had shot three films in New Zealand, which was "paradise on Earth".

Ms Patel said the country was "embedded in her heart forever".

Over 100 Bollywood films have been shot in New Zealand over the past five years, generating huge local income as well as the tourist and student spin-offs.

Indian students are in future tipped to become the largest group of foreign, largely tertiary, students coming here.

But the number of films been shot here has slowed and the Government is keen to regenerate interest, hence the significance of the Mumbai meeting.

Mr Roshan senior, one of Bollywood's most famous directors, had good news for the Prime Minister, revealing he plans to shoot another film here early next year.