Peter Brook’s Restored The Mahabharata To Premiere At London Indian Film Festival 2025

Renowned British director Peter Brook’s restored The Mahabharata, will have its UK premiere at this year’s London Indian Film Festival (LIFF).

The restored version will have a Central Gala red-carpet screening at the British Film Institute’s (BFI) largest IMAX screen, at the film festival, next month, reported PTI.

The screening of the 1989 film, which is an epic tale of love, philosophy and warfare, will align with the 100th birth year of Brook.

He was honoured with a Padma Shri in 2021 for his contributions in the field of art. Peter Brook died in 2022, at the age of 97.

Brook's The Mahabharata starred 16 nationalities, including Georges Corraface, Vittorio Mezzogiorno, Bruce Myers, Mamadou Dioume, Nolan Hemmings, and Mallika Sarabhaia, among others, in key roles. For the film adaptation, the director collaborated with Jean-Claude Carrière, and Marie-Hélène Estienne on the screenplay.

Other films which will be screened at LIFF 2025, include the Tamil-French film Little Jaffna and the Rima Das' Assamese film, Village Rockstars 2, among others.

"We are delighted to showcase some of South Asia's most outstanding new indie films across London and Birmingham in July, and to not only highlight emerging talent such as opening night director Lawrence Valin's Little Jaffna, or Indian director Lakshmipriya Devi's Boong, but to premiere the legendary Padma Shri UK director Peter Brook's spectacular The Mahabharata at the BFI IMAX, literally the biggest story ever showing on the Britain's largest screen," said Cary Rajinder Sawhney, Director of the London and Birmingham Indian Film Festivals.

He added, "In our industry events at the festival we will also be celebrating the filmmaking potential of South Asians born and living in the UK, and their potential to partner with Indian filmmakers on exciting future cross-collaborations."

London Indian Film Festival (LIFF), one of Europe’s largest annual Indian film events, is taking place between July 16 and 23 across London and Birmingham.