Aamir Khan headlines LIFF 2026 with a 'Lagaan' anniversary screening, and an Arundhati Roy restoration featuring a young Shah Rukh Khan also screens.
Aamir Khan, Arundhati Roy Film and ‘Goodness Gracious Me’ Reunion to Headline London Indian Film Festival’s 17th Edition APOS Boss Vivek Couto on AI, Microdramas and the Redefinition of the Region’s Media Business: ‘You Can’t Dabble in Asia’Khan’s event is tied to a 25th anniversary screening of his Academy Award-nominated colonial epic “Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India” at BFI Imax on July 12.
, the festival opens with the European premiere of “52 Blue,” directed by Ali El Arabi and starring Adil Hussain and Neha Dhupia. The film screens at BFI Southbank on July 9, followed by dates in Birmingham, Sheffield and Greater London through July 17.
The Central Gala on July 11 at BFI Southbank reunites the full cast of the 1990s BBC sketch comedy “Goodness Gracious Me,” with Sanjeev Bhaskar, Meera Syal, Nina Wadia, Kulvinder Ghir and Anil Gupta all expected onstage. ,” directed by Pradip Krishen, receives its U.K. premiere in a new 4K version at BFI Southbank and HOME Manchester. The 1989 cult film, set in a Delhi architecture school in the mid-1970s, was written by and features Booker Prize laureate.
Originally produced for Indian state broadcaster Doordarshan, it aired once before vanishing from circulation for decades. The restoration, by the Film Heritage Foundation, also offers audiences an early glimpse of Shah Rukh Khan, who appears in a small role.
U.K. premieres include “In Search of the Sky,” directed by Jitank Singh Gurjar and first shown at Toronto, screening in London and Birmingham; and two Bangladeshi films from the International Film Festival of Rotterdam 2026 – Rezwan Shahriar Sumit’s “Master,” winner of the Big Screen Competition at IFFR, and Mejbaur Rahman Sumon’s “Roid” – both premiering at the ICA, London and Midlands Arts Centre. The festival’s India’s AI & Film Future event, billed as Europe’s first showcase of Indian films made with AI as part of the creative process, takes place at BFI Southbank on July 11.
Jury selection was overseen by director Shekhar Kapur, with panelists including Chaitanya Chinchlikar, Arati Kadav, Hardeep Gambhir, Deepa Bhatia and Prateek Arora. The event repeats in Manchester on Oct. 2 in partnership with Manchester Metropolitan University.
Other strands include the LGBTQIA+ shorts programme Too Desi Too Queer, co-curated by Manchester’s Rainbow Noir; the Satyajit Ray Short Film Competition; and a Brit-Asian Shorts showcase paired with an industry panel, “Creating a New Horizon for British Asian Film Talent – Stronger Together,” held in partnership with Rifco Theatre Company. Peter Brook’s “The Mahabharata” will receive Northern premieres in Manchester, Bradford and Sheffield, and a Midlands premiere in Birmingham.
“We are delighted to open our 17th festival with ’52 Blue,’ a riveting and inspirational film about youth finding a way against impossible odds, which seems to wonderfully go against the grain of these despondent times. Further inspiration will come with major In Conversations with legendary trailblazers, Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan, and Britain’s much loved ‘Goodness Gracious Me’ team, all of whom I am pleased to say are still at the top of their game.
Bringing together a glittering box of indie gemstone films from some of the world’s finest film festivals to U.K. premiere at our five-city festival offers a rare treat to our audiences and an opportunity to experience the rich creativity of the world’s most populated region,” said festival CEO and Programming Director Cary Rajinder Sawhney.
“As ‘Lagaan’ completes 25 years, it’s hard to put into words what this journey has meant. 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. I’m truly delighted that this milestone is being celebrated with a screening at the BFI. To see ‘Lagaan’ still connect with audiences across generations and across geographies is very special,” Khan added.
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. Owen and Teddy Exit ‘Grey’s Anatomy’: Kevin McKidd and Kim Raver Break Down That Happy Ending and Why They ‘Earned Their Place as Endgame’ ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Boss on the Season 22 Finale: How Teddy and Owen Say Goodbye and That Surprising Meredith Twist
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