A taste of India came to Bath at the weekend as aspiring extras auditioned for a Bollywood movie.

Scenes for the film Veer, which will star Salman Khan – dubbed India's answer to Brad Pitt – will be shot in the city in the new year.

Casting staff working on the film, which was also written by Salman Khan, visited Bath on Friday and Saturday to look for extras.

People of all ages and nationalities gathered outside the Little Theatre cinema hoping to impress.

Becky Slade, 21, had travelled from Weston-super-Mare for the casting and was hoping to land a part in the film with her favourite Bollywood actor.

The third year University of the West of England student said: "I am a big fan of Bollywood films and I have been doing Bollywood dancing for about two years.

"I am hoping I will get to meet Salman Khan on set."

The film-makers were not looking for people with specific dance skills – just those who would be committed and enthusiastic.

Salman Khan plays a warrior in the movie, which is set in the mid-19th century.

Two friends, Breeze Barrington and Thea Pflaum, were hoping the filming experience would be an interesting way to spend their gap years.

Breeze, 20, from Batheaston, said: "When I saw the advert for it I thought it sounded like the kind of thing I would be interested in.

"I have done acting work before and I thought it would be a great opportunity and might help me out when applying to drama school."

Production manager Naila Mughal said she had been amazed at the number of people who had shown an interest in the casting.

She said: "It has been incredible. I didn't expect so many people from Bath to be interested in Bollywood, but we have some fans here. The news has travelled so fast and we haven't had time to stop for something to eat because we have been so busy.

"Because the film is set in the 1850s and Bath is so historic, it is the perfect location for the film."

The production team hope that filming will start early next year, with shooting taking place in Bath, Bristol and London.