Events and screenings to look out for at London Indian Film Festival
Highlights include a discussion with Bollywood star Aamir Khan and a reunion of the cast of Goodness Gracious Me
The London Indian Film Festival is back for its 17th year and will bring a programme of screenings, talks and special events to venues across the capital, Birmingham, Manchester, Bradford and Sheffield in July.
Described as Europe’s largest South Asian film festival, the event showcases stories from across the region and the diaspora with the 2026 programme featuring premieres and events highlighting emerging talent.
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The lineup includes an appearance from Bollywood star Aamir Khan, a reunion of the cast of Goodness Gracious Me and the return of the festival’s LGBTQI+ showcase Too Desi Too Queer. The festival will also expand accessibility for deaf and hearing-impared audiences this year, with more screenings featuring BSL-interpreted discussions across all participating cities.
Cary Rajinder Sawhney, chief executive and programming director, says that the event “offers a rare treat to our audiences and an opportunity to experience the rich creativity of the world’s most populated region”.
Here are five events to look out for.
52 Blue
The programme will open with the European premiere of 52 Blue, the latest film from award-winning director Ali El Arabi, whose previous work includes Captains of Zaatari. Starring Adil Hussain and Neha Dhupia, the coming-of-age drama follows a young Indian man on a journey to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar to meet his idol, the Argentinian football player Lionel Messi. It will screen at BFI Southbank on 9 July and again on 17 July, with further showings in Birmingham and Sheffield. El Arabi and members of the cast are set to attend the screenings.
“It goes beyond words to express how deeply grateful and happy I am, not only because the film is screening at Europe’s largest South Asian film festival, reaching an audience that has always felt close to my heart and profoundly moved me,” says El Arabi.
Aamir Khan in conversation
Bollywood actor and film-maker Khan will appear at BFI Southbank on 16 July for a conversation about a career spanning more than three decades. The star will look back on his life, from his early days as a child actor to his rise to become one of Indian cinema’s biggest stars.
Often referred to in the industry as the “Mr Perfectionist” of Bollywood, Khan has starred in films including Lagaan, Dil Chahta Hai, Rang De Basanti, Taare Zameen Par, 3 Idiots, PK and Dangal.
25 years of Lagaan
Khan’s appearance at the festival will coincide with the 25th anniversary of Lagaan, an Oscar-nominated sports drama that will screen at London’s BFI Imax on 12 July. The 2001 film follows a group of Indian villagers who challenge British colonialists to a high-stakes cricket match.
“As Lagaan completes 25 years, it’s hard to put into words what this journey has meant,” Khan says. “We made the film with a lot of belief, passion and honesty, never imagining the kind of love it would receive and continue to receive all these years later.”
Goodness Gracious Me reunion
Thirty years after it first aired on BBC Radio 4 in 1996, the cast of 90s sketch show Goodness Gracious Me will reunite on stage at BFI Southbank on 11 July, bringing together actors Sanjeev Bhaskar, Meera Syal, Nina Wadia and Kulvinder Ghir, and writer/producer Anil Gupta.
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Goodness Gracious Me was renowned for challenging stereotypes and exploring British Asian life through comedy sketches. Following its radio run, it transferred to TV in 1998 for three seasons until 2001.
Too Desi Too Queer
The festival’s LGBTQI+ film showcase, Too Desi Too Queer, co-curated by Manchester’s Rainbow Noir, will return this year with a new selection of short films, documentaries and Q&A sessions exploring South Asian LGBTQI+ experiences.
It will include shorts such as Ruse by director Rhea Shukla, A Thing About Kashem by Bijon Imtiaz, exploring internalised homophobia, and Body of Our Own, a documentary following three Hijra women over six years. Screenings will be held in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Bradford and Sheffield.
The London Indian Film Festival is running from 9-19 July.
