Britain is warming up for an Indian summer; not the long, hot variety, but one packed with Asian films, plays and exhibitions that are putting Asian artists in the limelight and helping them to break into mainstream British show business.

Billed as the biggest event of its kind yet in Britain, ImagineAsia, an eight-month festival of films from South Asia or by Asian film-makers, opened here last week.

The British Film Institute event will feature movies, educational schemes and exhibitions across the country, promising to attract a string of Bollywood celebrities.