The hunt for the next Shahrukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai arrives today in the UK, when the first British acting school dedicated to training future Bollywood stars opens its doors for applications.

The Ealing-based project is the first overseas branch of the Mumbai stage school Actor Prepares, founded by the Bollywood star Anupam Kher, who appeared in Bend it Like Beckham. He aims to address the exodus of talented British Asians who move 4,500 miles to India in search of fortune after finding opportunities here limited to bit-parts in soap operas.

Kher chose to launch Actor Prepares in London partly because of the popularity of Bollywood films in Britain; they have long been a source of nostalgia and, for second-generation immigrants, a means of connecting with their heritage. The school aims to be an Indian cinema version of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (Rada), with professional actors coming in from Mumbai to pass on their knowledge.

Auditions for the first batch of students will take place in July; applicants must perform an X Factor-style act in front of a panel of judges including Kher and Tannishtha Chatterjee, who played the lead role in the film version of Monica Ali’s Brick Lane. Around 30 students will be selected to join the course, and the three months of classes begin in September: successful candidates will be trained in Bollywood dance, martial arts and diction, and can choose to study in English or Hindi. Students will also learn yoga to help them better control their bodies and minds.