Indian Film Industry

Specialist advice for Indian and Bollywood productions filming
in the UK and UK productions working in India

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The UK and India have a long and active working relationship in film and television production. Indian productions shoot regularly in the UK to take advantage of locations, talent and infrastructure. UK productions work in India in the same way.

The bilateral co-production treaty between the two countries and the UK creative sector reliefs together create substantial opportunities for productions that are structured correctly.

Our team has built a specialist practice serving the UK and India production corridor. We work with Indian production houses, UK production companies in partnership with Indian financiers and the various service companies that support productions moving between the two markets.

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How we deliver Indian film advice

Each engagement begins by understanding the production, including the financing structure, the planned UK and Indian spend, the cast and crew arrangements and the location work.

From there, we work on the UK-side structuring including the SPV, the cultural test position, the cost categorisation and the AVEC claim.

On the Indian side, we work with the producer’s domestic advisers to align the structure. The result is a production that meets the qualifying tests on both sides and reports cleanly through the closing accounts.

Our expertise

  • UK Audio-Visual Expenditure Credit claims for Indian productions
  • Cultural test certification for UK qualification
  • Bilateral co-production under the UK-India treaty
  • SPV structuring for Indian productions
  • Production accounting and cost reporting for Indian financiers
  • Internationally mobile cast and crew arrangements
  • Permanent establishment analysis for Indian production companies
  • VAT and withholding tax on cross-border payments
  • Distribution and exploitation income flows
  • Co-ordination with Indian production accountants and legal advisers

Our partners have direct working relationships with production companies, post-production houses and the legal and financial advisers across the Mumbai and broader Indian film industry. The relationship is established rather than transactional.

What you can expect from our Indian film team

Three things define the work:

Genuine specialism

The UK-India film collaboration is a specific practice area of expertise for us. The people working on your production have done the same work for others in your sector and understand the unique financial requirements.

Co-ordinated across jurisdictions

We co-ordinate with the Indian-side advisers from the start so the structure is consistent rather than discovered to be misaligned later.

Practical about the way productions run

Productions move fast and our team is geared to deliver support alongside an active production schedule, with the responsiveness that the commercial reality of the industry requires.

Production houses and financiers in the Indian film industry work with us because we understand the corridor between the two markets.

From structuring decisions at the start of a production through to the AVEC claim and the final closing accounts at the end.

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Why choose Macalvins?

Macalvins is a Top 100 UK accountancy firm and a member of PrimeGlobal, a network of around 300 independent firms across more than 80 countries, including India and the rest of Asia.

That combination gives file and TV producers the depth and continuity of a senior-led independent practice together with the international reach they increasingly need.

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Frequently Asked Questions faq

Can an Indian production qualify for the UK Audio-Visual Expenditure Credit?

Yes, where the production is set up through a UK qualifying company, meets the cultural test through the BFI certification process and incurs the qualifying UK spend. The detailed structuring at the start of the production matters substantially. We have done this work for a number of Indian productions and we know what the cultural test requires in practice.

How does the UK-India co-production treaty work?

The bilateral treaty allows productions formally certified as official co-productions between the two countries to be treated as national productions in both. The qualifying tests under the treaty are specific and the application has to be made in advance. The treaty route opens different opportunities to the standalone UK qualification route and the choice between them is a structuring decision that needs to be taken early.

How do you co-ordinate with our Indian accountants and lawyers?

Directly. We have established working relationships with a number of production accountants, chartered accountancy firms and entertainment legal practices in India. We typically take the UK-side advisory role and work alongside your existing Indian advisers on the wider production. The handover points and the responsibility split are agreed at the outset.

Mr. Jackson
@mrjackson
Mr. Jackson
@mrjackson