How cinema and books have played vital roles in shaping the country’s global image
By AMIT ROYAug 24, 2022
EARLIER this year, talking about her love of books, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, revealed that Vikram Seth is her favourite author.
She said of her trips to India: “I’ve been lucky enough to see a lot of these wonderful old manuscripts and these illustrated books, you know, these ancient, illustrated books, which are completely fascinating and, of course, you’ve got so many good authors there. My favourite is Vikram Seth….”
Perhaps she had in mind A Suitable Boy, which was published in 1993. With 1,488 pages in paperback, it is one of the longest novels published in a single volume. Channel 4 considered making it into a television series in 1994, but wasn’t confident British audiences were ready for a tale with only brown characters. Finally, it happened in 2020, when the BBC adapted Seth’s novel into a six-part TV series directed by Mira Nair and filmed on location in India.
Tanya Maniktala (left) and Mahira Kakkar in A Suitable Boy, which was adapted into a six-part TV series for the BBC (Photo: BBC/Lookout Point/Supriya Kantak)
Soft power – and Indian novels do shape the popular perception of the country – has always been important for India. Perhaps it is more important than India’s growing economic strength. That is one reason why the very active Nehru Centre in London remains the cultural wing of the High Commission of India.
Although India is a complex country with many tensions at play, 75 years after independence it still retains its image around the world of being the peace-loving land of (Mahatma) Gandhi, (Rabindranath) Tagore and (Pandit Jawaharlal) Nehru. For many British people, it is a place of romance, reflected in such novels as MM Kaye’s The Fair Pavilions.
Indian cinema has an established market in Britain. The British Film Institute, for example, has had a Satyajit Ray season this summer, showing all 38 of his movies. But Britain’s association with Indian cinema goes back a long time.
A Derry Moore photograph of Satyajit Ray, whose 38 movies were shown by the British Film Institute this summer
For example, George V and his family attended a screening of Light of Asia (the story of Buddha) at Windsor Castle on April 27, 1926. The film was an adaptation of Edwin Arnold’s 1861 epic poem on the life of Buddha. It was a silent film and a German-Indian collaboration between Munich-born Franz Osten and film producer and actor Himansu Rai, who had previously studied law in Calcutta and London. The film was celebrated in Germany and found a wide audience in Britain as well. Favourably reviewed in the British press, it ran in London for 10 months.
The traditional British idea of India was perhaps best represented by Granada TV’s The Jewel in the Crown. Shown in 1984, the series was based on the novels of Paul Scott, and made stars of Art Malik, Tim Pigott-Smith, Charles Dance and Geraldine James. It was considered just about the best thing British TV had achieved. However, the story was not about India or Indians, but more about the British in India.
Books have helped redefine the idea of India. In 1981, Salman Rushdie won the Booker Prize with Midnight’s Children and changed the way English could be written. VS Naipaul won the Booker in 1971 with In a Free State, and the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2001. Arundhati Roy won the Booker for The God of SmallThings (1997), Kiran Desai for The Inheritance of Loss (2006), and Arvind Adiga for The White Tiger (2008).
What has changed is Indian-origin British authors are now writing their own stories and histories. Sathnam Sanghera’s Empireland is a case in point. Another is Marina Wheeler’s The Lost Homestead: My Mother, Partition and the Punjab, which tells the story of her Sikh mother who was married to the BBC journalist, Sir Charles Wheeler. Abir Mukherjee has set his detective thrillers in pre-partition India.
There have been noteworthy cultural landmarks along the way. In 2009 Slumdog Millionaire, a British drama directed by Danny Boyle, based on Vikas Swarup’s novel, Q&A, and with a music score by AR Rahman, was nominated for 10 Academy awards – it won eight Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Score and Best Song for Jai Ho.
It repeated the success of Richard Attenborough 1982 film, Gandhi, which won eight Oscars, and has taken the Mahatma’s message of non-violence to tens of millions of people across the world.
In 2002, Gurinder Chadha made by far her best movie, Bend It Like Beckham. When the English lionesses last month won the European football championship at Wembley, Chadha was reduced to tears of happiness. She had made a film about a young Punjabi girl who would much rather play football than learn to cook aloo gobi from her mum or stay out of the sun because a dark tan would allegedly do nothing for her marriage prospects.
Parminder Nagra (left), Keira Knightley (centre) and Shazney Lewis starred in 2002 success Bend It Like Beckham (Photo: Anthony Harvey/Getty Images)
Chadha declared: “Historic moment for England, for women’s football. I cannot believe I’m seeing this – it’s amazing…. all those years ago I struggled with so many people who kept rejecting Bend It Like Beckham, saying ‘no one wants to watch a film about women and football, this is never going to work, it’s not commercial’. And now look….”
Also in 2002, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical, Bombay Dreams, hit the West End, making it an Indian cultural summer to remember.
AR Rahman (left), Shekhar Kapur (centre) and Andrew Lloyd Webber, who made hit musical Bombay Dreams (Photo: SEBASTIAN D'SOUZA/AFP via Getty Images)
The museums, too, have been active in promoting Indian soft power. In 2009, the British Museum held a season of programming exploring Indian culture that included Garden and Cosmos: The Royal Paintings of Jodhpur, and India Landscape.
The V&A held an India Festival in 2015. Its highlight was the Fabric of India, “the first major exhibition to explore the incomparably rich world of handmade textiles from India”. On display were “around 200 objects that illustrate the skills, variety and adaptability of Indian textile makers, including previously unseen treasures, ranging from the earliest known Indian textile fragments to contemporary fashion”.
In 2017, the Science Museum held an exhibition, 5,000 years of Science and Innovation: Illuminating in India. It celebrated “India’s contribution to science, technology and mathematics”.
Auction houses, including Christie’s and Sotheby’s, sold work by such Indian artists as MF Husain, SH Raza, VS Gaitonde, Tyeb Mehta, and Bhupen Khakkar. British photographers, from Cecil Beaton to Derry Moore, sought to capture the magic of India – usually in black and white.
India figures frequently in plays. One was in Drawing the Line at Hampstead Theatre in 2013. Written by Howard Brenton and directed by Howard Davies, it focused on the role of Cyril Radcliffe in the partition of India in 1947.
Howard Brenton’s play Drawing the Line focuses on India’s partition
Brenton said he found it “shocking” that schoolchildren in Britain were not taught the story of partition.
“It is a crucial time in British history: the beginning of our decolonisation,” he pointed out. “It is not a pretty story, but it has created the country we have now in many ways and we should be more aware of it.”
He reckoned the lessons of decolonisation have not been learnt.
“How do you withdraw? We have had this problem three times in this country in the last 10 years: with Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya. You intervene or you invade, you support a war on one side which is victorious, then how do you extricate yourself?
“You have a bloody mess. India was on a vast scale.”
An urgent warning has been issued in the UK after several popular Jolly Rancher sweet products were recalled due to the presence of banned ingredients linked to cancer. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has confirmed that certain products, including Jolly Rancher Hard Candy, ‘Misfits’ Gummies, Hard Candy Fruity 2 in 1, and Berry Gummies, are affected.
These sweets, produced by American confectionery giant Hershey, were found to contain Mineral Oil Aromatic Hydrocarbons (MOAH) and Mineral Oil Saturated Hydrocarbon (MOSH), both of which are derived from crude oil and have been associated with serious health risks, including cancer.
Products removed but some still on sale
Hershey has informed UK authorities that it has taken steps to withdraw the affected products from the British market. However, the FSA has warned that some Jolly Rancher sweets containing these harmful substances are still being sold in shops, and local authorities have been urged to act.
Consumers are advised not to eat them and to dispose of them safelyiStock
The FSA stated: “Consumption of the affected sweets is of toxicological concern, especially in younger age groups and where consumers eat a lot of the products or eat them regularly.”
Consumers who have purchased the recalled items are advised not to eat them and to dispose of them safely. While the risk to individuals who have already consumed the sweets is considered low, the presence of MOAH and MOSH means they are not compliant with UK food safety laws.
Growing concerns over US imports
The Jolly Rancher recall is the latest in a series of warnings about American food products being sold in the UK with banned or harmful ingredients. Earlier this year, various sweets, drinks, and snacks imported from the United States – including Fanta Pineapple, Mountain Dew, Swedish Fish, Prime Hydration, Cheetos Crunchy, and Twizzlers – were found to contain substances not approved in the UK.
Among the banned additives were brominated vegetable oil (BVO), used in Mountain Dew, and Red Dye 3, a colouring found in jelly beans and preserved cherries. White mineral oil, also used in many US-made sweets, was another concerning ingredient.
Dr Pepper recall raises additional alarm
Separately, US authorities have recalled over 19,000 cans of Dr Pepper Zero Sugar due to mislabelling. The product, manufactured by Pepsi Beverages Company, was found to contain sugar despite being marketed as sugar-free. The error poses significant risks to individuals with diabetes or those who need to control their sugar intake.
Initially labelled as a voluntary recall, the incident has now been escalated to a Class II recall by the US Food and Drug Administration, meaning consumption may lead to temporary or medically reversible adverse health effects.
Health risks of hidden ingredients
These recent incidents have drawn attention to the growing trend of importing American products into the UK without full compliance checks. Experts warn that continued exposure to banned or mislabelled ingredients can pose long-term health risks, especially for vulnerable groups such as children and people with chronic health conditions.
The FSA continues to monitor the situation and has urged consumers to remain vigilant, particularly when buying imported food and drink products online or from independent retailers.
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Rescue and relief work underway following the Air India plane crash, in Ahmedabad. (PTI Photo)
ONE survivor walked away from the Air India aircraft that crashed at Ahmedabad airport earlier this morning (12), according to the latest reports from India.
Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, a UK national, was in seat 11A of the Air India Flight 171 bound for London Gatwick when it crashed shortly after take off from Ahmedabad with 242 people on board.
Initial reports suggested there were no survivors following the accident.
However, Kumar Ramesh was quoted as saying that seconds after take-off, “there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed”.
He told local media in India, “When I got up, there were bodies all around me. I was scared. I stood up and ran.
“There were pieces of the plane all around me. Someone grabbed hold of me and put me in an ambulance and brought me to the hospital.”
Two other British passengers believed to have been travelling on the aircraft were named as Fiongal and Jamie Greenlaw-Meek, who run a spiritual wellness centre and yoga studio in south London.
They spoke of their “magical experience” in India, adding they experienced “mind-blowing things”.
British Indian businessman Surinder Arora told Sky News a distant family member was on board the aircraft.
The UK government said it was sending a team to support the investigation into the Air India crash in Ahmedabad.
Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, survivor of the Air India plane crash, in Ahmedabad. (PTI photo)
In a statement, the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said it “has formally offered its assistance to the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, India.
“We are deploying a multidisciplinary investigation team to India to support the Indian led investigation.”
Britain has set up crisis teams in Delhi and London to support the families of those on board the Air India Flight 171, foreign secretary David Lammy informed parliament.
“My thoughts and I’m sure those of the entire House are with those who have been affected by the tragic plane crash in India this morning,” Lammy told MPs.
“We know that British nationals were on board and I can confirm that the FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) is working urgently with local authorities to support British nationals and their families, and has stood up a crisis team in both Delhi and in London,” he said.
The Tata Group said will provide Rs 10 million (£95,000) to the family of each person who died in the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad on Thursday.
In the message posted by Tata Group on X, the company said it will cover the medical expenses of those injured and ensure that they receive all necessary care and support.
"Additionally, we will provide support in the building up of the BJ Medical's hostel,” Tata Group and Air India chairman N Chandrasekaran said.
"We remain steadfast in standing with the affected families and communities during this unimaginable time," he said.
A US government agency that investigates civil aviation accidents said it would lead a team of American investigators to India to assist in the investigation of the crash.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said in a post on X that it will be “leading a team of US investigators travelling to India to assist the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau with its investigation into the crash of an Air India Boeing 787 in Ahmedabad, India, Thursday.”
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It added that as per international protocols under the International Civil Aviation Organisation, all information on the investigation will be provided by the Government of India.
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FILE PHOTO: Former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani. (PTI Photo)
FORMER Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani was believed to be on board the London-bound Air India plane that crashed near the Ahmedabad airport soon after take-off on Thursday (12), a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said.
"Vijay Rupani was going to London by the Air India flight," senior BJP leader Bhupendrasinh Chudasama told reporters in Ahmedabad. "I am going to the city civil hospital to inquire about him," he added.
The plane was headed for Gatwick Airport and the passengers included 217 adults, 11 children and two infants. Air India said 169 were Indian nationals, 53 were Britons, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian.
Rescue workers said at least 30 to 35 bodies had been recovered from the site and that more people were trapped.
Thick black plumes of acrid smoke towered high above Ahmedabad airport on Thursday after the London-bound passenger jet with 242 people aboard crashed shortly after takeoff earlier in the day.
A reporter in the city said the plane crashed in an area between a hospital and the city’s Ghoda Camp neighbourhood.
Passengers included 217 adults, 11 children and two infants (PTI photo)
Authorities said it went down outside the airport perimeter, in a crowded residential area, which local media said included a hostel where medical students and young doctors live.
"When we reached the spot there were several bodies lying around and firefighters were dousing the flames," Poonam Patni told AFP. "Many of the bodies were burned."
Another resident, who declined to be named, said: "We saw people from the building jumping from the second and third floor to save themselves. The plane was in flames.
"We helped people get out of the building and sent the injured to the hospital."
Photographs released by India's Central Industrial Security Force, a paramilitary police force, showed a large chunk of the plane that had smashed through the brick and concrete wall of a building.
Visuals showed people being moved in stretchers and being taken away in ambulances.
"My sister-in-law was going to London. Within an hour, I got news that the plane had crashed," Poonam Patel, a relative of one of the passengers, told news agency ANI at the government hospital in Ahmedabad.
Ramila, the mother of a student at the medical college, told ANI her son had gone to the hostel for his lunch break when the plane crashed. "My son is safe, and I have spoken to him. He jumped from the second floor, so he suffered some injuries," she said.
People stand near the debris of the Air India plane that crashed in Ahmedabad (PTI photo)
Aviation tracking site Flightradar24 said the plane was a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, one of the most modern passenger aircraft in service.
It was the first crash for the Dreamliner, which began flying commercially in 2011, according to the Aviation Safety Network database. The plane that crashed on Thursday flew for the first time in 2013 and was delivered to Air India in January 2014, Flightradar24 said.
Boeing said it was aware of initial reports and was working to gather more information.
Ahmedabad Airport is operated by India's Adani Group conglomerate.
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"We are shocked and deeply saddened by the tragedy of Air India Flight 171," Gautam Adani, founder and chairman of the group, posted on X.
"Our hearts go out to the families who have suffered an unimaginable loss. We are working closely with all authorities and extending full support to the families on the ground," he said.
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Police said they had collected 204 dead bodies (PTI photo)
All 242 passengers on board believed to have been killed in the Air India crash AI-171 in Ahmedabad
Air India passenger hotline numbers - 1800 5691 444 and for foreign nationals +91 8062779200
There were 169 Indian passengers, 53 British, seven Portuguese, and a Canadian on board the flight bound for London Gatwick
Contact @HCI_London on the emergency number 07768765035 with regard to emergency visa assistance to travel to India if needed
POLICE in Ahmedabad said they had collected 204 dead bodies after the London-bound Air India aircraft with 242 people on board crashed into residential buildings after takeoff on Thursday (12).
“We have found 204 bodies,” city police commissioner GS Malik said, adding that 41 injured people were “under treatment”.
The dead included those from the plane crash and from buildings into which the plane smashed.
“Rescue work is ongoing,” he said.
The crash was the first ever for a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, a source familiar with the matter said. Boeing, the American planemaker, said it was ready to support Air India following the crash.
"We are in contact with Air India regarding Flight 171 and stand ready to support them," said a Boeing statement. "Our thoughts are with the passengers, crew, first responders and all affected."
Several videos posted on social media showed the aircraft rapidly losing altitude - with its nose up - before it hit a building and exploded into an orange ball of fire.
Damage at a building after an Air India plane crashed moments after taking off from the airport, in Ahmedabad. (PTI Photo)
Authorities said it went down outside the airport perimeter, in a crowded residential area while a reporter in the city said the plane crashed between a hospital and the city's Ghoda Camp neighbourhood.
A medic described how the burning plane had smashed into a residential block that is home to medical students and young doctors.
"One half of the plane crashed into the residential building where doctors lived with their families," said Krishna, a doctor who gave only one name.
He saw "about 15-20 burnt bodies" in the wreckage and debris.
It was not clear whether the dead he had seen had been killed on board the plane, or had been in the building the aircraft ploughed into.
"The nose and front wheel landed on the canteen building where students were having lunch," he said, adding he and colleagues had "rescued some 15 students from the building and sent them to hospital".
"When we reached the spot there were several bodies lying around and firefighters were dousing the flames," resident Poonam Patni said.
"Many of the bodies were burned", she added.
Another resident, who declined to be named, said: "We saw people from the building jumping from the second and third floor to save themselves. The plane was in flames.
"We helped people get out of the building and sent the injured to the hospital."
Outside Ahmedabad airport, a woman wailing inconsolably in grief said that five of her relatives had been aboard the plane. In a post on social media, former UK prime minister Rishi Sunak, who was recently in Ahmedabad to watch the final of the Indian Premier League, said, “Akshata and I are deeply shocked and distressed by the news of the Air India tragedy.
“There is a unique bond between our two nations and our thoughts and prayers go out to the British and Indian families who have lost loved ones today.”
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Keir Starmer. (Photo by JORDAN PETTITT/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer on Thursday (12) expressed his anguish following a plane crash involving a London-bound Air India flight with 53 British nationals among 242 on board, shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad airport.
"The scenes emerging of a London-bound plane carrying many British nationals crashing in the Indian city of Ahmedabad are devastating,” Starmer said in a statement.
"I am being kept updated as the situation develops, and my thoughts are with the passengers and their families at this deeply distressing time," he said.
Foreign secretary David Lammy took to social media to express his support to those affected."Deeply saddened by news of a devastating plane crash in Ahmedabad, India. My thoughts are with all those affected.
The UK is working with local authorities in India to urgently establish the facts and provide support,” he said.
People gather near a damaged building and trees as firefighters work at the site where an Air India plane crashed in Ahmedabad, India, June 12, 2025. REUTERS/Amit Dave
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said it was working with local authorities in India to urgently establish the facts and provide support to those involved.
It issued a contact number for consular assistance.“We are aware of a plane crash in Ahmedabad.
The UK is working with local authorities in India to urgently establish the facts and provide support to those involved,” the FCDO’s travel advisory notes.
“British nationals who require consular assistance or have concerns about friends or family should call 020 7008 5000,” it adds.
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Gareth Thomas, MP for Harrow West, said, “I am deeply concerned by the tragic crash of Air India Flight AI171. Harrow is home to a large British-Gujarati community, many of whom have close family ties to Gujarat, and this devastating news will be felt particularly strongly here.
"My thoughts are with all those who have been injured or lost loved ones and I stand ready to support any Harrow residents who are concerned about the wellbeing of their family or friends affected by this tragedy.”
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, carrying 242 people, was due to land at London Gatwick Airport at 1825 local time. The flight AI171 crashed shortly after takeoff near the Ahmedabad Airport on Thursday.