The 17th edition of the London Indian Film Festival (LIFF) will feature a star-studded line-up, including Bollywood actor Aamir Khan and a reunion of the cast of the iconic British comedy series Goodness Gracious Me.
LIFF which also encompasses the Birmingham Indian Film Festival and Manchester Indian Film Festival, will be held across London, Birmingham, Manchester, Sheffield and Bradford. The festival is supported by the BFI Audience Projects Fund through National Lottery funding.
This year's edition will open with the European premiere of 52 Blue, directed by Captains of Zaatari filmmaker Ali El Arabi. Starring Adil Hussain and Neha Dhupia, the coming-of-age drama will be screened at BFI Southbank on July 9 before travelling to Birmingham, Sheffield and Greater London.
At the festival, Aamir Khan will celebrate 25 years of the period sports drama in a conversation, Aamir Khan In Conversation, on July 16.
"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," Khan said in a statement.
"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," he added.
On June 12, the film is going to be re-released in the Indian theatres.
The film, which originally released on June 15, 2001, was directed by Ashutosh Gowariker. Set in colonial India, the story revolves around a high-stakes cricket match between a group of untrained villagers and their British rulers.
Lagaan was nominated in the Best Foreign Language category at the 74th Academy Awards. It also went on to win eight awards, including the Best Popular Film award at the 49th National Film Awards.
The film featured an ensemble cast including Aamir Khan, Gracy Singh, British actors Rachel Shelley and Paul Blackthorne, Suhasini Mulay, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, and Rajendra Gupta, among others.
