There’s more to South Asian film than Bollywood, and Its independent directors and producers are on display in London’s South Bank Centre once more this Summer, from June 23 to July 3, with movies and short films from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
It’s another big year for the London Indian Film Festival, located beside the Thames in London’s cultural and entertainment heartland – and it has a new title sponsor: Blue Orchid London.
LIFF 2022 opens with Anurag Kashyap’s eagerly anticipated supernatural thriller Dobaaraa. Taapsee Pannu stars as a young woman who finds herself trapped between two lives, her existence played out in different decades. But Taapsee Pannu says that the movie’s mood isn’t overly dark, and she obviously enjoyed working with the director, whom she describes as “an oversized teddy bear…” At the same time, she says that Kashyap “knows exactly what he wants for any scene and won’t stop till he gets the desired outcome.”
The London Indian Film Festival has a well-deserved reputation for exciting premieres and special screenings, as well as masterclasses and Q&A’s. It also forms a significant part of London’s cultural offering, with funding from the British Film Institute via National Lottery Funds and Arts Council England.
Patron and long–term supporter of LIFF, Tony Matharu is Chairman of title sponsor Blue Orchid Hotels, as well as Founder and Chairman of the Central London Alliance: he says he’s delighted to host the festival’s star–studded red carpet receptions, and pleased to see people embrace the big screen experience once again.
He recognises London cinema as an important driver of the capital’s international reputation, a city where you can be both entertained and educated; a place in which to live, work and invest, and a place that is firing up its dynamic spirit and infectious energy. People are choosing to come back to the capital, and this is a good time to look for those central London hotel deals.
There are films in ten different languages represented in 2022, and female filmmakers lead the field, including Aparna Sen and her award–winning movie The Rapist (European premiere). Aparna Sen, India’s most prolific female filmmaker, will take part in a Q&A after the screening. It’s anticipated that the star of the film, Konkona Sen, will also be attending.
Rebana Liz John’s documentary Ladies Only looks at feminist themes through the lens of the female–only compartments on Mumbai’s hectic train network. It’s all there: questions of family, freedom and career unspool via recordings of individual stories, components of history that more often than not get ignored or quickly forgotten.
Other personal stories include the European premiere of Pan Nalin’s homage to celluloid, Chhello Show (aka Last Film Show). Set in the rural Gujarat village of Saurashtra, it tells the story of “kids who grow up in the countryside and how they start innovating to create their own kind of cinema. Nothing stops these kids. When you have nothing, nothing should stop you. It has reconnected me with my roots,” says Nalin. The story revolves around a nine year old boy who falls in love with cinema, watching from the side lines.
There is also Anik Dutta’s Aparajito, a tribute to legendary director Satayjist Ray and the making of his first film, the cult classic Pather Panchali (1955). It has been rapturously received, particularly for Jeetu Kamal’s performance as a thinly disguised Satayjist Ray, a book illustrator who decided to make a Bengali film unlike any that had been seen before. Ray gave the world a cult humanist film, much admired by the likes of Martin Scorsese.
Bringing us bang up to date is Aditya Vikram Sengupta’s Once Upon a Time in Calcutta, a look at the modern day city. It’s the story of a bereaved mother, trying to find independence. The director got the idea for the film while taking a photo of a dinosaur outside Kolkata’s Science City. He noticed that a nearby flyover was dwarfing everything else: “It looked like the flyover and the dinosaur were about to start a race,” says Sengupta.
No Land’s Man is directed by Mustafa Sarwar Farooki and it deals with the complexities of identity; Q&A with the director himself, following the premiere.
Climate and ecology are explored under the festival’s Save the Planet strand, with titles like The Road to Kuthriyar, No Ground Beneath My Feet and Haibondhu.
Other strands include Extraordinary Lives, featuring Dug Dug (“Highly stylish debut from director Ritwik Pareek”) and Paka: The River of Blood: (Indian Malayalam language drama from Nithin Lukose). The Young Rebels strand features The Cloud Messenger (Rahat Mahajan’s debut – myth and reality clash in a boarding school romance) and The Very Fishy Trip (Kulanandani Mahanta).
The shorts category includes the hit LGBTQIA+ programme, Too Desi Too Queer, with the films of Mumbai queer pioneer filmmaker Riyad Wadia; plus new British Asian emerging filmmakers, and competitors in the festival’s annual Satyajit Ray Short Film Competition.
Selections from the diaspora presents the British Indian comedy Little English; the Pakistani American film Americanish; archival screenings including the classic 1990s music documentary Asian Vibes London & Mumbai – plus a special screening of Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi, marking the 40th anniversary of this Oscar winner.
To close the festival, there’s the Canadian Indian documentary Superfan: The Nav Bhatia Story, dedicated to basketball/Toronto Raptor’s greatest fan.
The range and inclusive nature of the London Indian Film Festival is plain to see, and Blue Orchid Hotels, the new title sponsor, has been involved in the festival for many years through its chairman, Tony Matharu. Not only do his hotel venues offer excellent locations and standards, the company also has a commitment to making a difference within communities.
It values the support that private business can give to the arts, and pursues a number of charitable endeavours, including raising awareness of child trafficking and women’s rights (through Integrity International), themes that complement the platforms that the festival itself embraces. Chairman Tony Matharu has been a long term supporter and advocate for the festival, and is delighted that Blue Orchid is the title sponsor for 2022.
Films to See, Places to Visit, Food to Eat
We’re All Going On A Corgi Hunt
Not literally, of course. But a lot of fun. Just in time for the Platinum Jubilee, 19 outsized, colourful corgi statues (up to 2 metres long) have been installed from Victoria Station (near Blue Orchid’s Wellington and Rochester hotels) to outside the Royal Courts of Justice (Aldwych). The statues have names like Holly, Sugar, Whisky and Muick, and are the work of individual artists. There’s a map and puzzles to solve, and a prize to win. The corgis are in town till the end of July when they will be auctioned off for charity #queenandhercorgis.
Spitalfields Market
One of the best of the Victorian Market Halls is the historic Spitalfields building. It attracts devoted shoppers on the look-out for products from emerging young designers, plus the stalls are flanked by restaurants, also niche stores selling delicious cheeses and wine.
56 Brushfield Street, E1.
Leadenhall Market
Gracechurch St EC3V 1LT
Historic market hall, pretty, photogenic, with shops, pubs, restaurants and cafes. Near Fenchurch St station. And throughout June, it’s all dressed up for the Platinum Jubilee.
Coven Garden Market
A haven for all hungry gift hunters: The Apple Market (British made crafts and accessories); East Colonnade Market (magic tricks, sweets, you name it); The Jubilee Market (arts and crafts on a weekend). Covent Garden Market is next door to Theatreland, close to the National Gallery and endless restaurants. Plus Covent Garden is the first UK home for the Marriage Freres tea emporium and restaurant. 38 King Street WC2.
Aster
150 Victoria Street, SW1.
Modern French brasserie. The Aster cafe and restaurant serves everything from brunch to a late night snack. Downstairs, the deli has a gin and pudding menu. Aster restaurant is also part of a charitable initiative to help hungry children enjoy a good breakfast.
Butlers Wharf Chop House
36e Shad Thames, SE1.
Ground level views of Tower Bridge. British cuisine and chilled wine by the Thames.
Ceviche Soho
17 Frith Street, W1.
From Peru: Michelin Guide listed cuisine, flavour–filled menu. Restaurant and cocktail bar inspired by Lima’s bohemian Barranco neighbourhood.
Din Tai Fung
400 Oxford Street/ Duke Street, W1.
Expert Taiwanese food, Xiao Long Bao dumplings, each one with exactly 18 folds, freshly made in full view. Housed within Selfridges.
Eccleston Yards
21 Eccleston Place, SW1.
Very close to Victoria Station is Eccleston Yards. A treasure trove of food stalls, unique books, studio pottery and jewellery.
Giannino Ristorante
10 Blenheim Street, Mayfair, W1.
One of the historic restaurants of Milan (since 1899), Giannino is also an elegant, walnut wood panelled restaurant in Mayfair. Started life as a small fiaschetteria become becoming a favourite with the Milanese elite and film stars. Their portraits are still on the walls of the restaurant.
Heddon Yokocho
8 Heddon Street, W1.
Retro (1970s) ramen bar in the pedestrianised bit of Heddon St. Reimagining the yokocho alleys of Japan with J–pop, neon signs and lanterns.
Skyline London
100 Minories, EC3.
Rooftop restaurant and bar. Al fresco dining and drinking. Drinks, artisan homemade pasta, cicchetti menu, and cocktails – plus spectacular views of the Tower of London and Tower Bridge. All within Blue Orchid Tower Suites
Tandoor Chop House
8 Adelaide Street, WC2.
Just off the Strand is the wood panelled appeal of the Tandoor Chop House, a combination of North Indian communal eatery and British chop house. Indian spices and marinades, prime cuts of meat. The ethos is welcoming: this is where you come to socialise and share plates of delicious comfort food.
50 Kalò di Ciro Salvo (Pizzeria)
7 Northumberland Avenue, WC2.
Ciro Salvo is a third generation master pizza maker from a family of great pizza chefs. His 50 Kalò in Naples is included in Italy’s Michelin Guide, and his acclaimed pizza dough has won plaudits and awards.
There’s enough to keep you going here for a whole week let alone an overnight stay, and among the hotels in London UK, Blue Orchid offers fabulous locations and excellent service, from Westminster and Buckingham Palace to the Tower of London and the Thames.
Contact us at
hello@centrallondonalliance.com
