Over the pastweek, the city of Lyon has welcomed a film crew from India to shoot exteriorshots for Bollywood musical The Promise (Vadaa).

"The film is asocial romantic thriller, with six or seven flashbacks," explained the film'sdirector, Satish Kaushik, while watching a musical scene shot in front of thefamous Bartholdi fountain at Place des Terreaux in front of the city's Hotel deVille.

The film will bereleased in October, and is being shot in Hindi. It will star model-actor ArjunRampal and actress Amisha Patel and will have a budget of around $3m. 45minutes out of the two-and-a-half hour film will be dedicated to music.

"This is thefirst Indian film to be shot in Lyon," said Vashu Bhagnani of Puja Films, whichis producing the movie.

Like other PujaFilms productions such as Out of Control, Hero No.1, Biwi No.1, Bade MiyaChote Miyan, Deewanapan and Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai, the movie will bealso be released in the United States and in the United Kingdom. After shootingin Lyon, Vadaa's technicians and actors will continue shooting inMeribel, Chamonix, and Grenoble.

Vadaa is one of an increasing number ofBollywood films traveling abroad to countries such as the Switzerland, the UK,the US and France for location shoots.