MOVE over Spielberg!

An amateur film-maker, whose day job is a bus driver, has shot a film in Keighley almost entirely on his smartphone.

Asif Raja filmed his Bollywood-style romantic thriller at locations around the district including the moorland and valleys between Keighley and Ilkley.

The eight-day shoot using a Samsung S8+ mobile also included locations like Lister Park in Manningham and Ilkley’s Cow and Calf Rocks.

Asif, who is a driver for First buses, wrote and directed the 50-minute film, called Ehsaas, and also acts in it. He used a cast of local actors, including Bradford-based Mehmood Sultan who has made films in Pakistan, and he’s already planning his next movie.

“As a bus driver, I meet a lot of people every day and I’m always picking up ideas,” said Asif.

“I’ve had a lot of great reaction to the film on social media, and people are starting to recognise me now. Passengers are asking for selfies and shaking my hand when they get on my bus!

“I’ve always loved films but whenever I thought about making one all I could think of was the cost. It costs millions to make a movie. Even a low budget one costs hundreds of thousands of pounds.

“Then I thought, ‘Well, I’ve got a phone...’ I started experimenting on it and it went from there. About 95 per cent of the film was shot on my phone. It took eight days to do the filming.”

The film, which features Bollywood-style song and dance routines, is a thriller set against a love story.

“I play a romantic hero who takes revenge on the villain,” said Asif. “The title, Ehsaas, means “perceptiveness” or “realisation” in Urdu. The villain comes to the realisation that he has wronged people.”

He added: “The film is due to be released in Pakistan and will be available here on DVD and YouTube.”

* For more about the film go to Asif Raja on Facebook