Autumn programme revealed for London Indian Film Festival 2023
The London Indian Film Festival 2023 Autumn programme is bigger and better than ever before. See the programme highlights below.
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Opening Night Gala / European Premiere
‘Berlin’
25 Oct | 18:00 | Picturehouse Central | Buy Tickets
28 Oct | 17:00 | Picturehouse Stratford | Buy Tickets
Probably the most cleverly-constructed Indian film of 2023, Writer-Director Atul Sabharwal’s compelling spy thriller is set in the Delhi of the early 90s, where Indian government security factions compete for supremacy ahead of the Russian President’s visit. Sign language teacher Pushkin Verma, played by Aparshakti Khurana (Jubilee) is lured into the dark world of espionage. He finds himself forced to interrogate – in sign language – a deaf man, Ashok Kumar, who’s been accused of spying, played by Ishwak Singh (Rocket Boys).
Starring: Aparshakti Khurana, Ishwak Singh, Rahul Bose, Anupriya Goenka
Closing Night Gala / European Premiere
‘Padatik’
4 Nov | 19:45 | Regent Street Cinema | Buy Tickets
Director Srijit Mukherji returns to the festival with this biopic of one of India’s greatest directors, Mrinal Sen, which is guaranteed to leave no dry eyes in the house. We follow him from his early days around the time of India’s independence, where where he is a struggling idealist with an all-consuming hunger for cinema but unable to feed himself or his young wife, to 1950s Calcutta, where (alongside Satyajit Ray) he helped start the Indian New Wave cinema movement. Mukherji deftly delves into the heart and spirit of a cinematic genius, with glimpses of Sen’s iconic films like Bhuvan Shome – which propelled him to international fame while his own family were left to suffer. Lovingly crafted, with brilliant performances from an ensemble cast, this film is a delightful and fitting tribute to Sen on the 100th anniversary of his birth.
Starring: Akshay Kapoor, Chanchal Chowdhury, Korak Samanta, Monami Ghosh
European Premiere from our ‘Young Rebels’ Strand
‘Runs in the Family’
28 Oct | 19:30 | Picturehouse Stratford | Buy Tickets
3 Nov | 19:45 | Regent Street Cinema | Buy Tickets
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Varun (Ace Bhatti) and his transgender son River (Gabe Gabriel) must take a road trip from Durban to Eswatini to rescue River’s estranged mother in this heartwarming exploration of identity and family. Truly capturing the forgotten side of South Africa’s natural beauty, this film is complete with laugh-out-loud comedy, heartfelt dialogue and extravagant drag performances.
Starring: Akshay Kapoor, Chanchal Chowdhury, Korak Samanta, Monami Ghosh
UK Premiere from our brand new ‘Death By Any Means’ Strand
‘Kennedy’
1 Nov | 19:00 | Regent Street Cinema | Buy Tickets
2 Nov | 18:00 | Ealing Project | Buy Tickets
The Tarantino of India, Anurag Kashyap, is back with one of his hardest hitting movies since Gangs of Wasseypur. Kennedy opened in Cannes earlier this year, to a standing ovation. It tells the grisly tale of a cop, played by Rahul Bhat, who goes too far and has to go into hiding. Presumed dead, he is kept on the police payroll as a hitman, employed to execute criminals. After losing his police job and his family, Kennedy becomes unhinged and takes a sadistic delight in dispatching his targets, but as non-criminals also soon become his victims, the police realise they have a homicidal maniac on their hands. Expect stunning performances from Rahul Bhat and Sunny Leone, playing a gangster’s moll.
Starring: Rahul Bhat, Jeniffer Piccinato, Sunny Leone, Abhilash Thapliyal
European Premiere from our ‘Extraordinary Lives’ Strand
‘Privacy’
26 Oct | 18:15 | Ciné Lumière | Buy Tickets
29 Oct | 17:30 | Picturehouse Stratford | Buy Tickets
Sudeep Kanwal’s debut feature is a fascinating neo-noir social thriller that asks the question, how much access to someone’s private life is okay? Roopali (Rajshri Deshpande from Netflix’s Trial by Fire), is an ambitious police officer confined to monitoring CCTV footage of the bustling streets of Mumbai. After a burglary takes place on her watch, Roopali becomes troubled and ignores protocol to investigate the incident. As she delves deeper into the investigation, her obsession with the CCTV surveillance grows, leading Roopali down a dark path from which she may not be able to return.
Starring: Rajshri Deshpande, Nishank Verma, Sandesh Kulkarni
