Song and Dance

Bollywood has come to Germany. The cult Indian films have made it onto German cinema and television screens and have a huge following among German cinema fans longing for the cinematic pomp and pomposity of a bygone era.

But Indian filmmakers have also discovered Europe offers prime locations for shooting. While they have already ventured to scenic spots in the Alps, one Indian film company is currently shooting its latest film in the German city of Cologne, which has not been to everyone's taste.

The Agnes church is one of Cologne's biggest sacred buildings. Its gothic steeple rises up to the sky. Surrounded by cramped apartment buildings and busy streets, the landmark church is an oasis of calm -- or rather it usually is.

A voice droning out of the loudspeakers belongs to Himesh Reshamiyya, one of the most celebrated pop singers in India. He plays the lead in the Bollywood film "Aap Ka Suroor," which is currently being shot in Germany.

Agnes church is one of the film's locations. The producers want to simulate a night-time concert in the huge nave and covered the windows and walls with black drapes.

No Prayers, lots of song and dance

In a place where believers usually kneel down to pray, there are now 50 professional dancers in silver sequined dresses shaking their hips while a few hundred extras mill around waiting to play the cheering crowd.

Vinod is one of them. He was born in India but lives in Germany. And he is a big fan of Reshamiyya. For the 16-year-old, the shoot is a special chance to see his star at close range.

"I knew of him before, but I never met him," he said. "It's totally different to see him personally now. I'm standing in the fourth row. It's cool and I'm having a lot of fun."

But having fun and dancing in a church has raised a few eyebrows. Cologne's archbishop Joachim Meissner tried to stop the shooting from going ahead, but failed when it was revealed the church's pastor had already signed the contract with the production company.

Church accused of selling out

Many parishioners are angry about the production. An elderly woman shakes her head as she enters the church and then turns to leave saying: "I wanted to pray, to light a candle."

Until Sunday, only the film team will be allowed to use in the main nave, which has upset more than a few people. They don't understand why she shoot has to take place in a building they consider holy.

"This is not even a high-quality production, not an ambitious film which one could possibly stand being shot in a church," says one man who lives nearby. "I have talked to several people in the area and their enthusiasm is also limited. People think the church is selling itself."

The exact sum which the film company paid to the church is not clear. Because of the controversy and for fear of jeopardizing the shoot, Reshamiyya and the film company decided to cancel all interviews and closed off the church to the public.

Hence, not much information about the film's plot was made available, besides that it will partly be about Reshamiyya's life and that it will be a typical Bollywood film -- lots of music, dance, love and the inevitable happy end.

The film will hit India's screens in July.