A wealthy Sheikh is fighting a bitter High Court battle in London against claims he agreed to pay £35 million to be introduced to his Bollywood "idols".

Sheikh Hamad Isa Ali Al Khalifa, of the Bahraini royal family, allegedly entered into a contract with Egyptian businessman Ahmed Adel Abdallah Ahmed to pay for meetings with 26 Indian actors.

Mr Ahmed claims that, through his firm CBSC Events & Exhibition and Conference Organisers, he was hired by Sheikh Hamad to provide exclusive access to stars in an environment that "replicated a social encounter".

The Sheikh rigorously denies making any such agreement and says he understood he had a "genuine bond of friendship" with Mr Ahmed.

The court heard on Tuesday the two men were introduced by Sheikh Hamad's uncle in 2015, shortly after the death of the Sheikh's father.

Mr Ahmed's lawyers said Sheikh Hamad had a "lifelong passionate interest" in Bollywood and an "unbridled desire" to meet stars, including Shah Rukh Khan, Ranveer Singh and Aishwarya Rai - who are treated as "demigods" in India.

His barrister Stephen Nathan QC said access to such stars is "not easily achieved" but Mr Ahmed and his company were able to deliver it "at a price".

Mr Nathan said photographs of the encounters showed the Sheikh "happy and relaxed" with a star, giving out "expensive presents" he had bought from Harrods.

He told the court: "Despite the superficial appearance of good-natured social interaction, these were artificial events that had to be stage-managed and paid for.

"The claimants had the entrepreneurial ability and contacts to put together a service specially tailored to the defendant's requirements, both as to the stars of Bollywood whom he wanted to meet, and the kind of private encounters that he wanted to have.

"That service replicated ... a casual social gathering in the company of individual Bollywood stars, away from the crowds and in the intimacy of a private suite in a luxury hotel.

"But it was not the real thing and it was not the product of spontaneous friendship - it was a service being provided to him by a businessman for money."

Mr Ahmed claims that, during a phone conversation when Sheikh Hamad was in London in January 2016, the pair made an "oral agreement" that he would be paid more than £1 million for each meeting, plus a bonus of more than £350,000 after every third meeting.

He is suing Sheikh Hamad for £16 million he says he is owed in fees and costs he incurred while setting up meetings.

But Sheikh Hamad contends the alleged arrangement is "entirely fictitious" and is asking the court to reject the claim.

His lawyers said the idea he had entered an "exclusive agreement" worth more than £35 million is "absurd, verging on the grotesque".

They said the Sheikh would explain in his evidence that he "hit it off immediately" with Mr Ahmed and was "in the habit of bestowing money on his friends".

Andrew Hochhauser QC said: "Sheikh Hamad regarded Mr Ahmed as one of his friends and someone who was helping him make his dreams come true.

"Sheikh Hamad was, therefore, happy to express his gratitude to Mr Ahmed by giving him large sums of money.

"Whilst Mr Ahmed no doubt continued arranging meetings for Sheikh Hamad in the hope and expectation that Sheikh Hamad would continue to give him very large sums of money (in return for doing very little), there was plainly never any legal obligation on the Sheikh to do so."

The barrister said the "warm and affectionate tone" of text messages between the two men suggests Mr Ahmed also regarded the relationship as a friendship.

He added: "If those feelings of friendship were not reciprocated by Mr Ahmed, then it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that Mr Ahmed was simply stringing Sheikh Hamad along."

Mr Hochhauser said the case should never have been brought, adding: "It is an unjustified attempt by the claimants to exploit the vulnerability and extreme generosity of the defendant by seeking to characterise a relationship of trust and friendship as a cold, commercial relationship between two businessmen."

In a statement before the hearing, Sheikh Hamad said: "I am deeply disappointed that someone whom I had come to think of as a good friend is bringing this claim.

"I was trusting when Ahmed offered to introduce me to my Bollywood idols.

"I have since been pursued by Ahmed for enormous sums of money, despite having been very generous to him in the past.

"I do not accept that there was ever any contractual arrangement between us, let alone one that was exclusive and could never be terminated.

"I believe this claim has no merit, and I shall defend it."

The hearing, before Mr Justice Jacobs, is expected to last five days.

By Sian Harrison