Aardman Animation is working with Bend it Like Beckham director Gurinder Chadha on a new Bollywood-inspired film.

The musical will tell the story of Bodhi, a young Indian elephant from the jungles of Kerala with an impossible dream – to be a Bollywood dancer.

Chadha will both direct the project and is co-writing it with Paul Mayeda Berges.

Speaking about the project, Chadha said: “Aardman is a Great British national treasure. I am honoured and excited to bring my unique British Asian vision to their acclaimed animation studio. Their work has so much heart, humour and affection, and we share a love of authentic and joyful underdog stories about memorable characters – so it really is a perfect match.”

Peter Lord, creative director at Aardman, added: “We are so excited to be collaborating with Gurinder, a truly great director whose beautiful, funny, and warm storytelling we have long admired. Her talent, when combined with the team here at Aardman, promises something new and extraordinary in the world of animation.”