Bhuvan chala Melbourne!

Aamir Khan to celebrate 25 years of Lagaan at IFFM

The Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) has announced that its 17th edition will take place from 13th to 23rd August 2026. This year, the festival will kick off its celebrations with a special curtain raiser event a month ahead of the festival, commemorating 25 years of the Academy Award-nominated classic Lagaan.

The special event will be held on 9 July in Melbourne, where actor and producer Aamir Khan will attend a special screening of the landmark film, officially flagging off this year’s festival celebrations at the iconic ACMI cinema. Widely regarded as one of the defining films of Indian cinema, Lagaan was only the second Indian film to receive an Academy Award nomination in the Best Foreign Language Film category and continues to enjoy a lasting legacy with audiences across the world.

Speaking about this year’s festival, Festival Director Mitu Bhowmick Lange said, “The Indian Film Festival of Melbourne has always celebrated stories that have made a lasting impact on audiences, and there could not have been a better way to begin our 17th edition than by celebrating 25 years of Lagaan. The film is a milestone in Indian cinema and continues to inspire generations of filmmakers and audiences around the world. We are delighted to welcome Aamir Khan to Melbourne for this special celebration and look forward to presenting another memorable edition of the festival that brings together the very best of Indian cinema.”

The 17th edition of the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne will once again bring together celebrated filmmakers, actors, industry professionals and cinema lovers from across the world through film screenings, premieres, conversations, masterclasses and cultural events.