"I’m truly delighted that this milestone is being celebrated"
Aamir Khan will headline the 2026 London Indian Film Festival (LIFF), appearing in conversation as part of the event’s closing gala celebrations.
The 17th edition of the festival will run from July 9 to 19 across London, Birmingham, Manchester, Sheffield and Bradford.
Khan’s appearance at BFI Southbank on July 16 forms part of the festival’s closing programme and coincides with celebrations marking the 25th anniversary of his Oscar-nominated film Lagaan.
A special screening of the film will be at BFI IMAX on July 12.
Aamir Khan said: “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.”
The festival opens on July 9 with the European premiere of 52 Blue, directed by Ali El Arabi and starring Adil Hussain and Neha Dhupia. The film will screen at BFI Southbank before travelling to Birmingham, Sheffield and Greater London through July 17.
A major highlight of the programme will see the cast of Goodness Gracious Me reunite at BFI Southbank on July 11. Sanjeev Bhaskar, Meera Syal, Nina Wadia, Kulvinder Ghir and Anil Gupta are expected to appear together on stage for the Central Gala event.
The festival will also showcase the UK premiere of a new 4K restoration of In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones. Directed by Pradip Krishen, the 1989 cult film will be shown at BFI Southbank and HOME Manchester.
Written by and featuring Booker Prize-winning author Arundhati Roy, the film is set in a Delhi architecture school during the mid-1970s.
Rezwan Shahriar Sumit’s Master and Mejbaur Rahman Sumon’s Roid will have UK premieres at LIFF 2026, screening at London’s ICA and Birmingham’s Midlands Arts Centre.
The festival will also host India’s AI & Film Future at BFI Southbank on July 11. Organisers describe it as Europe’s first showcase of Indian films that have incorporated artificial intelligence into the creative process.
The jury selection was overseen by filmmaker Shekhar Kapur, with Chaitanya Chinchlikar, Arati Kadav, Hardeep Gambhir, Deepa Bhatia and Prateek Arora serving as panellists.
The event will later travel to Manchester on October 2 in partnership with Manchester Metropolitan University.
Festival CEO and Programming Director Cary Rajinder Sawhney said:
“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 UK 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.”
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