The Bradford crime writer, who adapted Vildie from the bestselling book, wanted to bring a bit of Hollywood to his hometown. .
Inside St. George's hall where guests saw the preview screening, Amitdund was emotional. “I stood at this stage, a tense 17-year-old boy gave a speech. I went round,” he said. He smiled as he looked at his father in the audience. He has a bad ass! ”
With a score from Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer, Virdee is a glossy TV drama that shows off the beautiful architecture, scenery and impressive cityscapes of Bradford. With rough, tense, moving, cracking action scenes and a very charismatic reading man, it's completely set and filmed in Bradford.
Amit said: You can write 10 dramas just sitting in a coffee shop in Leeds Road. I wear a hoodie and go to the store and spy around town. Bradford has always been a city of culture. It's when the world sees how sexy our city is and how cool South Asians are! ”
The six-part series focuses on Maverick cop Di Harry Vildie. When the young dealer is murdered, Harry calls out to his brother-in-law Rias, the drug lord Kingpin in the dangerous alliance. Harry also fights a personal demon after marrying a Muslim woman, being denied by his Sikh father. Blurred the line between his obligation to the law and connections with criminal gangs, he faces saving his family and the city.
The series begins with a thrilling pursuit through Kirkgate Market. “It was my last chance to continue the Kirkgate market forever,” Amit said. “We all went there as kids. It was a nostalgic journey for me.”
Other locations include City Park, Little Germany, Great Horton Road, Bradford Club, Sunbridge Wells, Midland Hotel and Four Star Square Station. “It's the old Bradford and New Bradford,” Amit says. “My book is set here and with everything I wrote, I had the filming location in mind. I think we provided something special. There are panoramic shots of the city, beautiful parks and dark crime scenes in old factory spaces. All the wonderful places to shoot.”
The production legacy is Bradford, Screen Academy, which offers training programs and employment channels in all areas of television production. Virdee Producers partnered with the Bradford Council, WYCA, Screen Yorkshire and the BBC to establish an academy, with trainees working on creating Virdee scores.
“This is the academy that sent Bradford young people to LA to work with Hans Zimmer. It's incredible,” Amit said. “Bradford has a huge talent and a great future.”
Play Di Virdee is a game from Thrones Star Staz Nair, which describes the series as “Gothamesque.”
“It's a growing gangland storyline with a blend of crime thrillers and family drama,” he said. “I loved filming in Bradford. As Amit puts it, 'It's the best city in the world – why am I leaving?” I walked around and the intricacies, beauty, pride of the place. I remember adopting the It's a sense of pride, “I like it, or put it together, we're from Bradford.”
“One night, I was filming in an alley and my aunt came out. Instead of telling us to keep the noise down, she offered us chai. Everyone was so welcoming. I saw real pride in being a Bradfordian. I thought, “This is what Harry is fighting for.”
Staz says Harry is an anti-hero. He is bold, but flawed. I don't think any of us have ever seen South Asians described this way before. It tells our story not only as a hero, but also as a father, mother, and son. It's universal. No matter where you come from, abandonment and betrayal are heartbreaking. ”
Staz revealed that he fell in love with Bradford Curry while filming here. Bradford is now ruined on his own for me and for me. Because curry isn't as good as this! ”
Aisha Kara plays Harry's wife, Zaima. “She's his safe space. Honestly, they're a love story, but they're being tested to the limit. It's not all romance,” Aisha said. “Amit's passion for Bradford is contagious. I loved City Park, and I filmed the first scene there. There was a lovely moment of filming at Saima's dad's house. I lived there. The family who was there brought us samosas and chai – they made us feel it was our home too.”
The cast includes Keighley actor Danyal Ismail as DS Amin and Bradford's Yousef Naseer as the young informant. “It was incredible to shoot at Bradford,” Danial said. “I went from Oakbank School, 19, to a drama school in London, and now I don't know if I'll do that or not – the opportunity is here.
“Bradford is multifaceted, and Virdee captures the complexity of the city. These characters happen to be South Asia and Eastern Europe, but they are not pigeon holes. That's very important to that. It's great. It was a joint project. Amit handed over the characters to us. Damien is very green and naive about the city's issues. He has a moral baffling that can threaten life.”
Yousef, 19: “There's a misconception about Bradford. Projects like this show that great things are happening here.”
Vikash Bai, who plays Harry's brother-in-law Rias, said he “heart is in the right place.”
“He wants Bradford the best, but he also needs to hold his power as a Kingpin. Rias's business norm is being challenged.
It is Kulvinder Gere who plays Harry's father Ranjit. That 30 years of acting career was a bent and comedy-good Beckham-like experience. “I filmed several times in Bradford – first there were Rita, Sue and Bob too,” Kluvinder said. “Ranjit came to this country when he was young and encountered racism. He had high expectations for his son, but he felt betrayed. Everyone has just children, regardless of religion. If it's a day, I think they'll feel they're married without knowing. These family themes are universal.”
Sudha Buchar played Harry's mother Jyoti and said, “I did a lot of plays in Bradford. I brought one woman's show from last year to the literary festival. The only one in the UK to have a great Pakistani meal. It is the city and then the real British sticky toffee pudding in the same restaurant!
“I feel it's very special to see Virdee as a city of culture as part of Bradford's year.”
* Virdee will begin on Monday, February 10th at 9pm at BBC One.
