Actress Samira Mohamed Ali has embarked on a journey half way across the world to promote her latest Bollywood movie bPositive where she stars as the lead heroine. Samira, currently the UK Ambassador for

BritWeek Miami, FilmInWales and UK ambassador for Children’s Charity Cerebra, is on an intense 10-day press tour in India to promote the picture.

Samira has started the tour in Bangalore with a press photo shoot with her co-stars Raj Purohit and Nibeditha. She will travel to Mumbai on Wednesday for a full week of interviews for major TV channels, magazines and media conferences. Last night’s red-carpet event at the Grand Leema Hotel saw the release of the movie trailer, followed by an exclusive fashion show. This attracted over 4,000 screaming fans outside the hotel hoping to catch a glimpse of the cast and crew.

Samira will play lead heroine Nina, and the Venkatesh Kumer film is about a love triangle, with an interesting twist that cannot be revealed until the film is released. In an interview Samira said, “I am very excited to be part of this latest Bollywood movie. It’s great to be back in India and a privilege to be working with such an amazing production team. I can’t wait for this movie to hit the big screen at the end of March.” Born to Arab-Portuguese parents, the Welsh actress feels that she can relate to many different cultures – she especially loves India, its culture and its people.

Samira has recently starred and co-produced the British action movie ‘By Any Name’ which is based on the number one best selling novel by Welsh Author Katherine John under Tanabi Films. This is due to be released summer 2015.

Samira was the first ever Westerner to be cast as a lead role in the Southern India Film Industry in 2013 and is now touring North India to promote her latest film. The movie bPositive will be released in theatres in 5 languages across Asia and the Middle East from the end of March, and in Europe during August 2015. You can follow her journey on Facebook at SamiraMohamedAli or Twitter @SamirasFanPage.

AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR KATHERINE JOHN HAS TEAMED UP WITH TANABI FILMS FOR BEST-SELLER ADAPTION

Welsh author Catrin Collier (writing as Katherine John), who has just released her 48th book title through Accent Press, has now teamed up with Swansea-based Tanabi Films to produce an action packed film adaption of her best-selling 1995 thriller, By Any Name. Tanabi Films have had the pleasure of producing “By Any Name”, which is based on the novel by Katherine John – a No.1 best seller on e-book Amazon and a bestseller in Germany, Poland, the US and UK. Recently selected as one of Amazon’s chosen authors, Katherine John is currently profiled on most online platforms across the US, South America and Europe. In an interview with Katherine today, she explains “I am very much part of the project to bring ‘By Any Name to the screen. The entire team at Tanabi are incredible, and determined to get everything right. I’ve written the script with the support of the director and the actors who are all superb professionals, and it is a huge privilege to be able to work with them”.

Welsh actress Samira Mohammed Ali will star as the joint lead in the movie as Elizabeth Santer, a psychologist, who is taken hostage by John West. Samira, currently the Ambassador for BritWeek Miami, FilmInWales and UK ambassador for Cerebra charity, is currently undergoing intensive personal training in order to keep up with the physical demands of the role. In an interview today, Samira said: “I am thrilled to be part of this movie and to co-produce this transmedia project. Being able to work in Wales and especially in Swansea and Brecon is very exciting, as most of my work to date has been abroad in Bollywood movies”.

Actor and Combat expert Cengiz Dervis plays the lead role of John West, the bloodstained stranger who has suffered amnesia, and is the centre of a manhunt across Wales. Cengiz has a huge fan base in the UK, Europe and especially in Turkey, and he is set to be an exciting cast member on this production. Speaking earlier, Cengiz said “I’ve read the novel twice and the screenplay is fantastic. I can’t wait to get into character ready for principal photography. My background will serve me well, and it will be a privilege to work with a renowned author such as Katherine John.” Also, set to feature in the movie, as the third lead is actor Dan Richardson, who’s many acting credits include British and US movies and make him an integral part of the team.

Tanabi’s CEO Euros Jones-Evans said today, “Swansea is becoming a hotbed for film and TV productions,and we’re looking forward to be an integral part of this media buzz. Being based at the Dylan Thomas Centre is an important part of our plan to involve the local community in this project. The majority of the cast, extras and crew have been ‘sourced’ locally. This forms part of our 5-year strategy to bring inward investments into Wales through productions, especially from India and the US. Our chosen charity is ʻOur Local Heroesʼ, and some ex-service men and amputees will also have the opportunity to star in the movie as extras. I would like to thank the following for their support – Gower College, Welsh Government, Wales Screen Commission, Swansea Council, Ffilm Cymru, South Wales Police and Swansea University.”

You can follow the adventure on Twitter @ByAnyNameMovie or @TanabiFilms and on facebook