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South Asian Heritage Month

Reclaiming the history and identity of British South Asians - through film.

South Asian Heritage Month runs from 18th July to 17th August every year. It seeks to raise the profile of British South Asian heritage and history in the UK through education, arts, culture and commemoration, with the goal of helping people to better understand the diversity of present-day Britain and improve social cohesion across the country. Here we present a selection of films that enhance understanding about what it means to be South Asian in the 21st century, as well as looking to the past to see how Britain became the diverse country it is today.

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The Warrior The Warrior

Crime 2002 87 mins Director: Asif Kapadia

Irfan Khan stars in this stately swordplay epic from director Asif Kapadia (Amy, Senna) which earned critical comparisons with Kurosawa.

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Bend it Like Beckham Bend it Like Beckham

Sport 2002 112 mins Director: Gurinder Chadha

Gurinder Chadha’s smash hit about an Asian girl with an undying love for football.

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East Is East East Is East

Comedy 1999 97 mins Director: Damien O'Donnell

Damien O'Donnell's charming comedy-drama about Zaheed Khan (Om Puri), the patriarch of a Pakistani-British family whose children begin to reject their heritage and embrace UK life.

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The Taste of Mango The Taste of Mango

Documentary 2023 75 mins Director: Chloe Abrahams

Sleepwalking into submerged depths of memory, a mother’s dream and a daughter’s beckoning, this fascinating film tenderly untangles the knots of the past.

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Matangi/Maya/M.I.A. Matangi/Maya/M.I.A.

Documentary 2018 96 mins Director: Steve Loveridge

Fascinating delve into the career, personality and politics of award-winning musician M.I.A.  

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Brothers in Trouble Brothers in Trouble

Drama 1996 103 mins Director: Udayan Prasad

Udayan Prasad's perceptive 1995 drama follows Amir (Pavan Malhotra), a Pakistani immigrant living in England and adjusting to his new life - including meeting an Irish girl who moves into his boarding house.

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All in Good Time All in Good Time

Comedy 2012 94 mins Director: Nigel Cole

A pair of newlyweds endure a honeymoon staying with the groom's parents in a comedy from East Is East writer Ayub Khan-Din.

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Bhaji on the Beach Bhaji on the Beach

Comedy 1994 101 mins Director: Gurinder Chadha

Gurinder Chadha's charming and critically acclaimed comedy about a group of British Asian women from Birmingham who bond during a day-trip to Blackpool.

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Shiraz: A Romance of India Shiraz: A Romance of India

Historical drama 1928 106 mins Silent Director: Franz Osten

The ravishing, romantic story behind the Taj Mahal, has been newly restored with a sumptuous new score from Anoushka Shankar.

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The World Unseen The World Unseen

Drama 2009 90 mins Director: Shamim Sarif

Sweeping romantic drama about two Indian women who fall for each other in the hostile environment of apartheid South Africa.

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Fireflies in the Abyss Fireflies in the Abyss

Documentary 2015 88 mins Director: Chandrashekar Reddy

This absorbing documentary follows Suraj a 11-year-old boy who works in the 'rat-hole' mines in the Jaintia Hills of North East India, armed with nothing more than a pickaxe and a head torch. In these hostile pits, every day is a game of death.

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I Am Not He... She I Am Not He... She

Drama 2015 108 mins Director: B.S. Lingadevaru

Lingadevaru’s unforgettable drama, based on an empowering true story of a young boy who travels to Bangalore to follow his dream of becoming a woman.

Currently unavailable

Shakespeare Wallah Shakespeare Wallah

Romance 1965 122 mins Director: James Ivory

When a young British actress from a touring troupe falls in love with an Indian playboy, the star-crossed lovers must overcome cultural differences and the scheming of a fierce rival.

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Majdhar Majdhar

Drama 1984 78 mins Director: Ahmed Alauddin Jamal

Abandoned by her husband through an arranged marriage, a young Pakistani woman decides to make a life in England

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The God King The God King

Historical drama 1974 99 mins Director: Lester James Peries

Epic tale set in 5th century Sri Lanka, following the battle for the throne between Kassapa and his father King Dhatusena.

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Jalal's Story Jalal's Story

Drama 2014 109 mins Director: Abu Shahed Emon

Abu Shahed Emon's entrancing film tackles several of Bangladesh's pressing social issues in the story of an abandoned child, believed to be cursed, who ends up entering a life of crime.

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Around India with a Movie Camera Around India with a Movie Camera

Documentary 2018 73 mins Director: Sandhya Suri

Archive footage tells the emotionally-resonant story of life across India pre-1947.

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Circle of Gold Circle of Gold

Documentary 1988 50 mins Director: Uday Bhattacharya

Calcutta where myth, religion and folktales co-exist with aspirational life-style adverts

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A Private Enterprise A Private Enterprise

Drama 1975 72 mins Director: Peter K. Smith

The trials and tribulations of Shiv, a South Asian entrepreneur trying to set up a business in industrial Birmingham

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Diana Diana

Drama 2008 11 mins Director: Aleem Khan

A young Indian transgender woman takes a life-changing step in this moving short, set in London the day after Princess Diana’s death.

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Trishna Trishna

Drama 2012 114 mins Director: Michael Winterbottom

Tragedy befalls a young Indian woman when she falls in love with a rich British man in Michael Winterbottom's sharp Thomas Hardy update.

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Jugni Jugni

Drama 2016 110 mins Director: Shefali Bhushan

Exuberant Hindi romance about a composer searching for a golden voice, who unexpectedly falls for a vibrant younger performer.

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Wild West Wild West

Comedy 1993 84 mins Director: David Attwood

Defying opposition from his conservative Pakistani family, Zaf Ayub dreams of becoming Southall's greatest gift to country & western.

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The Assam Garden The Assam Garden

Drama 1984 90 mins Director: Mary McMurray

Deborah Kerr’s final big screen role is a gentle tale of a widow and her friendship with an Indian neighbour.

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My Pure Land My Pure Land

Drama 2017 98 mins Director: Sarmad Masud

Britain's 2018 submission for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar was this Pakistan-shot western with a feminist twist, centring on a bitter land dispute between an extended family.

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