London Indian Film Festival 2026 to Feature Aamir Khan, Arundhati Roy Film, and Goodness Gracious Me Reunion
8 reported
The London Indian Film Festival will hold its 17th edition from July 9 to 19 across five UK cities, featuring a closing gala with Bollywood actor Aamir Khan and a reunion of the BBC sketch comedy “Goodness Gracious Me.” The festival opens with the European premiere of “52 Blue” and includes UK premieres of several international films. A restored 4K version of the 1989 cult film “In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones,” written by Booker Prize laureate Arundhati Roy, will also screen. The festival will host Europe’s first showcase of Indian films made with artificial intelligence as part of the creative process. Other programming includes LGBTQIA+ shorts, a Satyajit Ray Short Film Competition, and a Brit-Asian Shorts showcase. The festival is supported by the BFI Audience Projects Fund via National Lottery funding, with additional backing from Dell, the British Council, Birmingham City University, and Manchester Metropolitan University.
What’s reported
The festival runs July 9–19 across London, Birmingham, Manchester, Sheffield, and Bradford.
Aamir Khan will appear in conversation at BFI Southbank on July 16 as the closing gala.
A 25th anniversary screening of Khan’s film “Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India” will take place at BFI Imax on July 12.
The festival opens July 9 with the European premiere of “52 Blue,” directed by Ali El Arabi and starring Adil Hussain and Neha Dhupia.
The Central Gala on July 11 at BFI Southbank reunites the full cast of “Goodness Gracious Me,” including Sanjeev Bhaskar, Meera Syal, Nina Wadia, Kulvinder Ghir, and Anil Gupta.
A restored 4K version of “In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones,” directed by Pradip Krishen and written by Arundhati Roy, will have its UK premiere. The restoration was done by the Film Heritage Foundation.
The festival’s India’s AI & Film Future event takes place July 11 at BFI Southbank, with jury selection overseen by director Shekhar Kapur.
The festival is backed by the BFI Audience Projects Fund via National Lottery funding, with additional support from Dell, the British Council, Birmingham City University, and Manchester Metropolitan University.
Key figures
Aamir Khan, Bollywood actor and filmmaker
Arundhati Roy, Booker Prize laureate and writer
Sanjeev Bhaskar, Meera Syal, Nina Wadia, Kulvinder Ghir, Anil Gupta, cast of “Goodness Gracious Me”
Ali El Arabi, director of “52 Blue”
Adil Hussain, Neha Dhupia, actors in “52 Blue”
Pradip Krishen, director of “In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones”
Shah Rukh Khan, actor in a small role in the restored film
Shekhar Kapur, director overseeing AI event jury selection
Cary Rajinder Sawhney, festival CEO and Programming Director
Sources: Variety
