Harry Potter's Matthew Lewis, EastEnders' Nina Wadia and Parvinder Shergill star in new fencing film
ITV Meridian's Megan Samrai met the cast on set of 'Touché' in Berkshire
Harry Potter actor Matthew Lewis, EastEnders' Nina Wadia and comedian Paul Chowdhry are starring in upcoming fencing film ‘Touché’.
Co-written by Parvinder Shergill and Juggy Sohal, the indie picture is about the journey of a young woman learning to fence to get her life back on track.
Filmmaker Parvinder is also playing the protagonist Deep. She wants to challenge our perceptions of what an elite athlete looks like.
To mark South Asian Heritage Month, she spoke to ITV Meridian on set at Ditton Manor in Berkshire about how she's determined to bring more South Asian stories to the forefront.
"I grew up watching Karate Kid and Rocky which I love but they're male driven dramas. And I thought we never see these incredible roles in sports with brown women or women for that matter.
"I used to do fencing growing up and it's such a beautiful, graceful sport but when we think of fencing we typically don't think of someone that looks like me."
"I wanted a film that young girls, especially South Asians, when they look up to think gosh I can do anything in the world.
Actor Matthew Lewis, famous for his role as Neville Longbottom in the Harry Potter series, will be playing Tom, the captain of a fencing team.
The actor says he was drawn in by Touché's strong mental health element and that it’s become a passion project for him.
But how does it compare to working on Harry Potter? He said: "The level of camaraderie and family that you get on something small like this actually tends to be a bit more intense and a bit deeper.
"On big budget films you tend to get lost sometimes. You're kind of a small cog in a very large machine, whereas on something like this you're really at the forefront of it."
"It's a small unit and we're all pulling in the same direction. You're all in the trenches together."
The actor has also learnt a lot more about fencing since filming began, and even entered a competition in Florida in June.
He said: "I feel like the doors have been opened to a whole new world. I cannot emphasise how little I knew about it beyond I'd once seen it at the Olympics.
"It's been tough. Physically the conditioning that's required is enormous. And then the the technique that's required as well."
Starring alongside Parvinder and Matthew is Eastenders' actor Nina Wadia who will be playing Parvinder's mother.
Her roles in shows such as Goodness Gracious Me have secured her place for many as a trailblazer for British Asians in the industry.
She told ITV Meridian that South Asian projects don't get as much support, certainly when she started out, and that it's only fair to give back and to encourage new talent to come through.
"There's a lot of projects being made where if you're South Asian you don't particularly get a prominent role. You can be put in the background sometimes, so it's nice to have a project where you're front and centre.
"I think progress is being made. It's slow as it always has been. I've been in the business for almost 35 years and things have changed but things still need to change. And they will only do that with the help of us supporting eachother."
Nina has supported Parvinder in the past too, also starring in previous project 'KAUR' two years ago. The short film is about a Sikh woman choosing to wear a turban and defy her father's wishes.
The film was released on ITVX and Netflix but Touché will be an even bigger task as it’s a full length features. Both Touché and KAUR are differing stories that put female empowerment at their heart.
Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...