The 22nd edition of Prague’s Indian Film Festival, formerly known as the Bollywood Film Festival, returns this year with a program reflecting both the vitality of contemporary Indian cinema and the enduring charm of its classics. Running at Kino Světozor this weekend, the festival continues its mission to bring the diversity of Indian filmmaking to Czech audiences through screenings that combine entertainment with cultural insight.
Festival organizers say the 2025 lineup signals Bollywood’s creative resurgence following a recent downturn. “Bollywood seems to be recovering from the slump it went through in recent years,” said creative director Radim Špaček in a statement. This year’s selection, he added, was a pleasure to curate, highlighting stories that blend cinematic energy with deeper social and emotional themes.
The festival opens with The Superboys of Malegaon, directed by Reema Kagti, marking a symbolic return to the roots of grassroots Indian cinema. Kagti’s feature revisits the world of Supermen of Malegaon, a 2008 documentary about amateur filmmakers in a small Indian town, which the festival screened sixteen years ago. This time, the audience will have the chance to see both films back-to-back, offering a rare opportunity to compare Bollywood’s fictionalized tribute to the original real-life story.
New films spotlight India’s evolving social themes
Among the highlights of this year’s program is Santosh, a stark crime drama and last year’s British Oscar submission. The film follows a police officer’s widow who inherits her husband’s post and investigates a young girl’s murder in a story that confronts caste injustice and systemic corruption. Its unflinching portrayal of inequality has made it controversial in India, where the filmmakers reportedly refused censor board demands for extensive cuts, rendering it nearly banned.
The festival also features Metro… In Dino, Anurag Basu’s follow-up to his 2008 ensemble drama Life in a… Metro. The new film interlaces the lives of eight urban characters grappling with loneliness and connection across Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, and Bengaluru, continuing Basu’s exploration of contemporary Indian relationships.
Long-time Bollywood star Shahid Kapoor takes on contrasting roles in two films screening at the festival. In Deva (pictured at top), he portrays a morally ambiguous police officer entangled in the criminal underworld, while I’m Wrapped in Your Words sees him as a cyber engineer who falls for an artificially intelligent woman. Both projects reflect the industry’s shift toward genre experimentation and character complexity.
Classics and crowd-pleasers return to the big screen
For nostalgic fans, the festival will screen the 1990s megahit Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, directed by Karan Johar and starring Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, and Rani Mukherjee. The romantic drama, known for its iconic songs and exuberant dance numbers, remains one of the defining films of Bollywood’s modern era. Its inclusion underscores the festival’s tradition of balancing new releases with beloved classics that introduced many Czech viewers to Indian cinema in the first place.
Another major draw is Champions of the Earth, featuring Aamir Khan as a disgraced basketball coach who rebuilds his life by leading a team of players with disabilities. Adapted from the Spanish hit Champions, the film showcases Khan’s signature mix of emotional depth and moral transformation, embodying the feel-good spirit that has long endeared Bollywood to international audiences.
The Indian Film Festival, running at Prague’s Kino Světozor, remains a fixture in the city’s autumn cultural calendar. Now in its 22nd year, it continues to highlight how Indian cinema—whether through social realism, romantic musicals, or genre hybrids—connects audiences across cultures. As Špaček put it, the event celebrates “the power of cinema to shape lives” and to remind viewers that stories from Mumbai to Malegaon can resonate just as deeply in Prague.
For more info and a full schedule, see the festival’s official website.
