India House in London hosted a festival of films entitled ‘Spirit of Indian Cinema and Sports’ over the weekend, expected to become a more regular fixture as the High Commission of India seeks to spotlight films as a key driver of UK-India ties.
Indian High Commissioner to the UK Vikram Doraiswami introduced the first series of offerings, which included Bollywood box-office hits ‘83’ starring Ranveer Singh in the role of the Indian cricket World Cup winning captain Kapil Dev, ‘Dangal’ starring Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘Chake De! India’.
Doraiswami said: “We're doing this because one of the things that seems to have passed us by is the idea of how much film connects India and the UK.
“The film industry is essentially one of the big potential drivers of future partnership between India and the UK. If you look at the utilisation of studios in the UK, the creative industry in the UK, animation, gaming – the convergence between all of these sectors that constitute the new entertainment industry – the UK has a lot of what India looks for, and India has the scale and the speed at which these industries are evolving. So, there is a natural synergy in business for us in the film industry.
“What we are really keen to do is to offer to you an opportunity to stay connected with us as we start a new process of promoting the India-UK relationship through film and through the creative industry.”
The UK has also been invited to register a “strong presence” at the World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES) in Mumbai in April.
The free screenings at London’s May Fair Hotel, attracted a range of film buffs, including members of the Indian diaspora, musicians and former cricketers. India House has indicated plans for a screening room to showcase more such offerings in the future.
