A new film about violent Tamil gangs, called Tooting Broadway, has sparked concerns about its portrayal of the area and of south London’s Tamil community.

The £500,000 budget feature film is being made by Putney TV producer Ruby Lovell and is currently filming on location around Tooting, Merton and Croydon.

Ms Lovell, 35, is a Tamil herself and wants to highlight the issue of Tamil gangs and Tamil culture in the UK.

She said: “It’s a tragic shame that people get caught up in the wrong crowd. We want to expose south London for what it is. It is not glorifying gang violence, it is showing the reality.”

But she admitted that, although she had spoken to people who work with the gangs, she has not talked to any gang members during research for the film.

In 2007 Tooting was the location of an exceptionally savage instance of Tamil gang violence on Upper Tooting Road when Pranaskaran Kannan was hacked to death by members of Croydon Tamil gang, The Jaffna Boys, thinking he was part of rival gang, the Tooting Tamils.

Four gang members were found guilty of murder and were sentenced to more than 60 years in prison. Ms Lovell said she knew about the murder but it had not inspired the film itself.

There are believed to be around 100,000 Tamils now living in south London.

Only a tiny minority of young Tamils are involved in gangs, and these are often Sri Lankans who have been traumatised by the recent civil war and who arrive in the country to stay with relatives and are without parental supervision.

White Pigeon, a Tamil charity in Tooting, is fearful about how the film might portray the Tamil community.

A spokesperson said: “At the moment, it is too soon for a film to come out as it will affect all of us as Tamils. People might think that all Tamil boys are in gangs. It could have a very negative impact on our community.”

Tooting MP Sadiq Khan said: “I am concerned that the film’s producers may not realise the impact this fictional film could have on the local community and the reputation of Tooting, which is one of the safest places to live in London.

“We cannot gloss over the very real problems there are with gangs in parts of South London, but at the same time it should not be exaggerated or twisted for the sake of entertainment."

But Dr Raji Chandirassegarane of the South London Tamil Welfare Group, said the film could be a force for good if people take the message in the right way.

She said: “People know that there are Tamil gangs. If it is told in the correct way, it will be good to bring into the movie what the root causes of gang culture are and how not to be trapped in the same ways.”