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Soon the prestigious London Indian Film Festival will begin! Running from 23 June – 5 July 2022 you can go to the festival in cinemas in London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds or experience it on your own sofa, at home, via the digital site www.LoveLIFFatHome.com.

As always, showcasing the best independent films from South Asia, this year’s lineup looks to be amazing! From the opening night film Dobaaraa to the closing night gala screening of Superfan: The Nav Bhatia Story and every film, in the intriguing and exciting strands, Liff is shining the light on brilliant and thought-provoking cinema.

One of the highlights every year are the special and always fascinating In-conversation events, and for Liff 2022, they boast some incredible women.

Taapsee Pannu, the lead protagonist of Liff’s Opening film Dobaaraa, talks about the film and her fantastic career as an actress on June 25th.

The actress has been lauded...

Rituparno Ghosh was, before his untimely death in 2013, one of India’s most interesting, talented and, at times, controversial directors. A talented writer who brought out the best in the actors who worked with him, Ghosh spent ten years working at the Response ad agency before finally turning to cinema.

Director Sangeeta Dutta (who considered Ghosh a friend) brings together interviews conducted with people who knew Ghosh and who established friendships and working relationships with him. The film is a veritable who’s who of Indian (and most particularly Bengali) cinema, with commentary and stories about Ghosh from Aparna Sen, Konkona Sen Sharma, Sharmila Tagore, Nandita Das, Prosenjit Chatterjee, Arjun Rampal and Soumitra Chatterjee, amongst others. The documentary uses two devices to frame the story: the first, excerpts from Ghosh’s posthumously published book First Person (a compilation of weekly columns written for the Bengali weekly magazine Robbar) read by...

Rituparno Ghosh (1961-2013) emerged on the Bengali film world in early nineties after the death of Satyajit Ray. He worked for an advertisement agency before making two documentaries for Doordarshan ( India’s National Television) and moved into filmmaking with the movie “Hirer Angti” (Diamond Ring) (1992). But despite getting critical applause, the movie was never released commercially. But Rituparno’s next movie “Unishe April” ( 19th April) won National Award for best film and changed the face of Bengali cinema with a touch of freshness and aesthetic story-telling approach.

Tagore has been a big influence for Rituparno Ghosh and its reflected on his style of film making which brings in the aura of poetry many times. And the use of poetries in his movie has been unique and always blended beautifully with the narrative. Sangeeta Gupta’s documentary on this eminent director is like a beautifully crafted rhythmical composition, floating like a...

The Bagri Foundation London Indian Film Festival is a cinematic treasure trove of carefully curated premieres of Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi independent films, offering rare glimpses into some of the billion plus lives in the sub-continent. Now in its ninth year it expands out in three cities: London, Birmingham and Manchester.

The programme of dramas, documentaries and shorts explores a compelling slate of controversial, entertaining and thought provoking themes with global resonances. The festival is title sponsored by the Bagri Foundation, which is dedicated to the promotion of Asian arts and culture. The festival also receives grant support from the BFI’s National Lottery Audience Fund.

Opening night

The festival helmer, with an all star Hollywood and Bollywood cast including Demi Moore, Mark Duplass, Freida Pinto, Manoj Bajpayee, Rajkummar Rao, Richa Chadda, Anupam Kher, Adil Hussain, Sunny Parwar and Mrunal Thakur, is the World Premiere of “Love Sonia”, from the...

The passing of Rituparno Ghosh in 2013 left Indian cinema bereft of one of its finest craftsmen.

The Kolkata-born writer, director, activist and literary figure – just 49 years of age at the time of his untimely death – was widely recognized as the spiritual successor to the legendary Satyajit Ray.

Now the life and work of this creative genius is set to be celebrated at the 16th annual Tongues on Fire London Asian Film Festival (Laff) to be held in June across the British capital: a city which held particular affection for Ghosh.

The Festival – Europe’s oldest and most respected showcase for independent South Asian cinema – will hold screenings of three of Ghosh’s most critically acclaimed films and a series of discussions on the filmmaker’s immeasurable contribution to Indian cinema.

The tributes will begin with a screening of ‘Chitrangada’, Ghosh’s seminal 2012 drama based on the story of the character...

Bollywood actress Raima Sen was in London for the closing event at the London Indian Film Festival on Tuesday 3rd July.

Two of Raima Sen’s Bengali movies, Abosheshey and Baishey Srabon where screened at the two week film festival, with the actress walking the red carpet for the UK premier of the Bengali thriller Baishey Srabon.

Held at Cineworld, Haymarket the red carpet event began with the announcement of this year’s winner of the Satyajit Ray Foundation’s Short Film Competition. The prize went to Neeraj Ghaywan, for his film Shor, which tells the tale of a husband and wife living in Mumbai’s ghettos.

Baishey Srabon tells the story of two journalists and two cops chasing a psycho killer who is taking revenge in Kolkata, leaving behind couplets of famous Bengali poets as hints.

After the screening of the thriller, Raima Sen participated in a Q&A...

Director Thiagarajan Kumararaja’s feature Aaranya Kaandam (Anima and Persona), starring Jackie Shroff, Sampath Raj, Yasmin Ponnappa and Ravi Krishna has won the Western Union Audience Award at the 3rd London Indian Film Festival (Liff, June 20 – July 3). Sp Charan’s Capital Film Works produced the film.

Kumararaja said: “I don’t know what to say. It’s nice to know that people in Europe loved the film and in fact, that people across continents love the film. It also worked with audiences in the Us and with the jury at the Indian National Awards. And it is appreciated now in Europe also. I’m thrilled.”

Charan said: “I’m happy and proud of Aaranya Kaandam’s success this year. On behalf of Capital Film Works and the crew of Aaranya Kaandam, I would like to first of all congratulate London Indian Film Festival on a successful event this year and...

Following its UK launch in May 2012, online Bollywood film platform, Sanona is showing its commitment to the Indian film industry by sponsoring the 3rd annual London Indian Film Festival (Liff) this month.

Sanona, a brand new service offering fans of Bollywood and Indian cinema the chance to stream and watch movies online, will be presenting both the coveted Opening Night Premiere for Mumbai cult director Anurag Kashyap’s action-packed Gangs of Wasseypur, and the equally prestigious Closing Night Premiere of multi award-winning hit Bengali movie, Baishey Srabon (Seventh August) and their accompanying after-parties.

The festival brings to UK audiences a selection of cutting edge films from some of India’s and the UK’s hottest independent talents. As one of Europe’s fastest growing platforms for Indian cinema, Liff has a natural synergy with Sanona; both organisations pledging to celebrate the burgeoning movement of alternative Indian cinema.

Adam Davies, the founder and CEO of Sanona,...

National Film Development Corporation (Nfdc) unveiled the 23 projects that will participate at the co-production market at Film Bazaar to be held during the International Film Festival of India 2011 in Goa.

It includes Ketan Mehta’s Noor-The Princess Spy and Dibakar Banerjee’s The Boy and the Bandit.

Film Bazaar 2011

Apple Tower; dir. Rajiv Mohite [India]

Trial (Azmaish); dir. Sabiha Sumar [Pakistan]

Burqa Boxers; dir. Alka Raghuram [Us]

Four Colours (Chauranga); dir. Bikas Mishra [India]

The Bicycle (Cycle); dir. Khanjan Kishore Nath [India]

Diary of a Housewife; dir. Rubaiyat Hossain [Bangladesh]

Druk Gi Suung; dir. Ugyen Wangdi [Bhutan]

Free Fall; dir. Sopan Muller [India]

The Vegetarian (Il Vegetariano); dir. Roberto San Pirtro [Italy]

Kumari; dir. Tsering Rhitar Sherpa [Nepal]

Liar’s Dice; dir. Geetu Mohan Das [India]

I’m A Bhopali Aren’t I? (Main Bhopali Hun Na!); dir. Jay Bajaj

Mea Culpa; dir. Prasanna Jayakody & Sumudu Guruge [Sri Lanka]

Gun (Nongmei); dir. Haobam Paban Kumar [India]

Noor – The Princess Spy; dir. Ketan Mehta [India]

Scarlet Poppy; dir.

As the film opens, Gp Sanjay Banerjee (Girish Karnad) comes home to find his wife Manju (Sharmila Tagore) collapsed on the kitchen floor. She is rushed to hospital but cannot be saved. Each of their three daughters are immediately summoned to the hospital and thereafter they all remain at the family home for the five days leading up to the funeral, during which time they each recall memories of their wife and mother, argue, grieve and fight and ultimately come to know and understand each other much better.

*****

Life Goes On is the directorial debut of Sangeeta Datta, for which she won the Audience Award at last year’s London Asian Film Festival and Best Feature at the Pravasi Film Festival in New Delhi in 2010. She certainly cannot be said to lack ambition, aiming with her first feature for a family saga encompassing grief, regret, familial strife, religious intolerence, the...

Mumbai, March 27 – A film on Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore’s life is to be made soon. In the year of the poet’s 150th birth anniversary, director Sangeeta Datta plans to capture the bard’s literary excellence on camera.

‘The project that I am getting inspired to start work on is something on Rabindranath Tagore’s life,’ said Datta, whose directorial.

On March 11th, Life Goes On directed by Sangeeta Datta and starring Om Puri, Sharmila Tagore, Girish Karnad and Soha Ali Khan was released across UK cinemas and is getting ready for its debut in India. To celebrate we are giving away to our readers in the UK, a signed poster and soundtrack to one winner, with copies of the original motion picture soundtrack signed by director Sangeeta Datta going to 4 runners up.

Set in London, Life Goes On is a drama that explores the relations between a grief stricken father and his three daughters. The drama unfolds over five days from the day of their loss to day of the funeral. Haunted by memories, grappling with this devastating loss, missing the mediating influence of his wife, Sanjay finds himself assessing his relationship with his three daughters. He is faced with a further crisis when he discovers his youngest and most loved daughter Dia,...

Sangeeta Datta’s award winning feature Life Goes On (Sd Films, UK/india) opened in UK national cinemas on Friday 11th March. Distributed by Miracle Communications, the film is running in 20 cinemas in London and across the nation. The gala screening at Empire, Leicester Square ran to a full house with India talent Girish Karnad and the Brit-Asian actors Rez Kempton, Mukulika Banerjee, Christopher Hatherall, Steph Patten in attendance.

Directed by Sangeeta Datta, Life Goes On stars Om Puri, Girish Karnad, Soha Ali Khan and Sharmila Tagore in pivotal roles. Life Goes On was inspired by Shakespeare's play King Lear and the drama explores the relations between a grief stricken father and his three daughters. Set in London, the time is now, the family of Indian origin - part of the UK diaspora.

With his wife's sudden death, Sanjay is suddenly thrown into close proximity with his three daughters. The drama unfolds over five days from the day when Manju dies to the day of the funeral.

Haunted by memories, grappling with this devastating loss, missing the mediating influence of his wife, Sanjay finds himself assessing and carving out new relations with his three daughters. He is faced with a further crisis when he discovers his youngest and most loved daughter Dia, has a Muslim boyfriend - Imtiaz. Confused and angry,...

Sangeeta Datta’s award winning feature Life Goes On (Sd Films, UK/india) opened in UK national cinemas on Friday 11th March. Distributed by Miracle Communications, the film is running in 20 cinemas In London and across the nation. The gala screening at Empire, Leicester Square ran to a full house with India talent Girish Karnad and the Brit-Asian actors Rez Kempton, Mukulika Banerjee, Christopher Hatherall, Steph Patten in attendance. The Q & A with director Sangeeta Datta and the cast ran for 45 minute rekindling interest in the history of Indian partition and the aftermath of communal violence and displacement.

Director Datta says, "The film is a freewheeling adaptation of Shakespeare's King Lear in a contemporary British Asian context." The same afternoon there was a special screening and student forum at London University, School of Oriental and African Studies (Soas), where post screening discussion ranged from Shakespearean adaptation, generational conflict and the...

Norwegian Wood (15)

(Tran Anh Hung, 2010, Japan) Kenichi Matsuyama, Rinko Kikuchi, Kiko Mizuhara, Tetsuji Tamayama, Kengo Kôra. 133 mins

Between its daunting cult status and its decidedly un-romcom themes, it's amazing Haruki Murakami's proto-emo Japanese teen tale ever got made. Coming of age here is a languid, melancholy journey across tragedy, mental illness, sexual frustration and other sorrows, but the tone is beautifully maintained, visually and aurally, and it captures something most youth movies never even attempt to find.

Fair Game (12A)

(Doug Liman, 2010, Us) Naomi Watts, Sean Penn, Ty Burrell. 108 mins

What Hollywood liberal bias? This dramatisation of the outing of CIA agent Valerie Plame over her husband's non-cooperation with Bush's Iraq plans dares to name names and point fingers. True-life political and personal tensions are brought back to the boil.

Battle: Los Angeles (12A)

(Jonathan Liebesman, 2011, Us) Aaron Eckhart, Michelle Rodriguez, Bridget Moynahan. 116 mins

This massive-scale action epic launches...

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

With all it’s admirable ambitions it is a pity that writer director Sangeeta Datta’s first feature film too often fails to deal convincingly with difficult issues. Life Goes On follows a wealthy doctor, Sanjay (Girish Karnand) trying to come to terms with the sudden loss of his wife. As he and his daughters are thrown together for the days leading up to the funeral, Sanjay must face up to his past, and it’s present consequences, and try to establish new relationships with his daughters who he finds he knows little about.

While the director cites influences as far ranging as Ken Loach and Mike Leigh to the melodrama of Bollywood, the film ends up feeling neither especially realistic nor excitingly histrionic. It never really gets further than the skin of either minority life or the city where it is set. While Indian culture...

Opening today in the UK and then on the 25th of March in India, is the Sangeeta Datta directed Life Goes On, starring Girish Karnad, Om Puri, Sharmila Tagore, and Soha Ali Kahn. The film was shot in London and has a great line up of young British talent to round out the cast as well. Describing the film Datta told us, "Life Goes On is a freewheeling adaptation of King Learset in a modern Brit-Asian context. It is an emotional family drama but deals with real issues that confront today's diaspora. The film also deals with the history of Indian partition and how it has left great trauma which bears on current perceptions - its quite complex really."

So what was the driving force behind her decision to make this film? "After 9/11 and 7/7 the growing Islamophobia that I perceived actually propelled me to tell this story and make this film quite urgently.

Soha Ali Khan's first British Asian film Life Goes On has been described as a tribute to Bengali poet Tagore. The debut production from Sangeeta Datta, which celebrates the 150th anniversary of Tagore, won 'Best Film' at the Delhi Pravasi Film Festival and the 'Audience Award' at the London Asian Film Festival. "The songs include two wonderful translations of Tagore's poetry by legendary lyricist Javed Akhtar," said the filmmaker. Hindi film veterans (more)...

Directed by Sangeeta Datta, the film Life Goes On is an independent Brit-Asian film starring Om Puri, Sharmila Tagore, Girish Karnad

and Soha Ali Khan. According to Datta, "Life Goes On is inspired by the old tale of King Lear and his daughters. It is trying to find meaning for Shakespeare's King Lear in a contemporary multicultural British context."

Synopsis: Set in London, Life Goes On is a drama that explores the relations between a grief stricken father and his three daughters. The drama unfolds over five days from the day of their loss to day of the funeral. Haunted by memories, grappling with this devastating loss, missing the mediating influence of his wife, Sanjay finds himself assessing his relationship with his three daughters. He is faced with a further crisis when he discovers his youngest and most loved daughter Dia, has a Muslim boyfriend.

Life Goes On has been...

Soha Ali Khan's first British film has been given a theatrical release date. The Sangeeta Datta-directed project, which was shot in London in 2009, will now release in the UK next month. The actress spoke about sharing screen space with her real-life mother, veteran actress Sharmila Tagore, saying: "I wanted to share some filmography with her. In India everyone always says, 'When are we going to see you and Sharmila-ji on (more)...

Soha Ali Khan has admitted working with her mother Sharmila Tagore for Sangeeta Datta’s Life Goes On was "intimidating". Speaking to the Hindustan Times about working on her first international project alongside her multi-award winning actress mother, Soha admitted that she was keen to impress. “Though she hasn’t liked me in too many of my films, she liked this one,” she said. Khan added that playing characters similar to their real lives in (more)...

Bollywood actors Sharmila Tagore, Soha Ali Khan and Om Puri flew into the UK for the release of Life Goes On at a special screening in London. The film, a multi-cultural adaptation of Shakespeare's 'King Lear', set in a contemporary British Asian context, is helmed by first time director Sangeeta Datta. Star of the production, Sharmila Tagore, compared the filmmaking process in India to working on an international project: "The photography of the film is so real and so correct and what I really liked about the film is the quality of the sound and the music. It is so real, and had been made in very real circumstances. In Bombay perhaps that balance may have gone."The veteran actress said at the event: "I enjoyed working in this film and I am very grateful for Sangeeta for giving me the opportunity, and to work...

Bollywood actors Sharmila Tagore, Soha Ali Khan and Om Puri announced the release of Life Goes On at a special screening in London on Thursday.

The film, a multi-cultural adaptation of Shakespeare's King Lear, set in a contemporary British Asian context, is helmed by first time director Sangeeta Datta.

The project tells the story of a grief stricken British Bengali doctor (Girish Kanard) who struggles to cope with his three daughters after the unexpected death of his wife (Sharmila Tagore).

The veteran actress said at the event: "I enjoyed working in this film and I am very grateful for Sangeeta for giving me the opportunity, and to work with Om Puri and Soha and all these very talented young people."

The star compared the filmmaking process in India to working on an international project: "The photography of the film is so real and so correct and what I really liked...

Om Puri has two British Asian films due for release in early 2011. The veteran actor spoke to Digital Spy about his work on Sangeeta Datta's debut Life Goes On and East Is East sequel West Is West. Talking about why he likes filming in the UK, Puri said: "I enjoy working on British Asian films because in Bombay I hardly cook as we have a cook at home. Here I like cooking, going to Sainsbury's and picking up vegetables and knick knacks to make." The 60-year-old actor also spoke about the difference between working on (more)...

Soha Ali Khan has spoken about the experience of working on her first international production Life Goes On. The star revealed to Digital Spy how important the Sangeeta Datta-directed film is to her. The former University of Oxford student revealed: "For me it was a series of many firsts. The first time that I have worked in England, and having studied here I was very excited to come and be a part of a British production. Also, it is my first time to work in the English language, and with a female director." The project, which explores the relationship (more)...

Mumbai, May 12 – Soha Ali Khan, who has just finished her first film with her mother Sharmila Tagore, is in no hurry to repeat the experience.

‘It’s my first film with mom. Hopefully, we won’t have to to face the camera in a hurry again. In spite of having years of experience playing her daughter, the experience of doing it for the camera just unnerved me,’ Soha, 31, told Ians.

Soha and Sharmila will be seen together in London-based Indian filmmaker Sangeeta Datta’s directorial venture ‘Life Goes On’, which.

Sharmila Tagore and Soha Ali Khan starrer Life Goes On has been declared the Best Film at the Pravasi Film Festival which concluded today. A jury, including veteran filmmaker Basu Chatterjee and Bollywood director Rahul Rawail, named the Sangeeta Datta directed film the winner in the Feature Film category. "My film is a small independent venture and this festival was a good platform to reach out to people. It is important to have known faces in your film as it adds to visibility," Datta told Pti. Actors Om Puri and Girish Karnad play prominent roles in the film which centres around a Bengali ...

Soha Ali Khan shared the screen space with veteran Sharmila Tagore for the first time in Life Goes On. But the actress insists that facing the camera with her mother was a daunting task because she is a perfectionist. Soha, who plays Sharmila's daughter in the Sangeeta Datta's crossover film says that she had a scary experience working with her mother. "My mother is a perfectionist, be it in terms of performance or the clothes I wear. It was a terrifying experience working with her since she knows me inside out," Soha said on the sidelines ...

Sharmila Tagore and Soha Ali Khan, mother and daughter, will be attending the 1st Pravasi Film Festival in New Delhi in January, organised by the Mauritius High Commission and Pravasi Today magazine. The movie, Life Goes On, starring Sharmila and her daughter, will inaugurate the Festival. The story is a retelling of King Lear but with a more optimistic ending. Set in the UK amongst the British Indian community, it explores the cultural and generational clashes felt by many in the diaspora. “This is the first time Sharmila Tagore and Soha have shared screen space,” explains director Sangeeta Datta. “I have known Sharmila Tagore for a long time and from the very beginning I have imagined her in the character she is now playing.”

The Pravasi Film Festival will take place from the 3rd-6th January and will focus on the work of NRIs. Mira Nair, Deepa Mehta and Gurindher...