British-Pakistani actor Asad Shan stars in Indian film London Life

Welcome to London director Asad Shan is returning to acting in upcoming British-Indian flick London Life.

Directed by visual effects artist Naveen Medaram (who did the special effects for Harry Potter, Batman and Spiderman), the English-language film stars Asad as Raj, a student who struggles to adjust after moving to the UK – a prospect he viewed with a lot of excitement. Eventually, he falls in love with his housemate Anita, and thus the film's romantic angle develops.

Asad describes his character as similar to Salman Khan's oily haired Prem in Hum Saath Saath Hain: "He is nice to everyone and [slowly grows into a stronger character]."

The film's theme is reminiscent of Asad's own film Welcome to London, which starred himself and Sabeeka Imam, and explored immigration in the UK and how London brings together different people. The film was screened in Pakistan in 2015.

Asad Shan is the only Pakistani actor in London Life's cast that also stars Amber Riva Rose (Devil's Double) and Shivani Ghai (Eastenders, Bride & Prejudice).

The film, which runs for 92 minutes, is nearing completion and will be released in India on February 12.

Asad also plans to visit Pakistan where he's involved in the debut film of "a prominent TV director".

“The feature film is going to be really good. It's a total masala rom-com commercial film with a big cast. A Pakistani director who does a lot of dramas is making his debut as a film director, so I'm really looking forward to it.”