Featuring Dia Mirza and Mohit Raina in lead roles, web-series Kaafir attracted a lot of eyeballs upon its premiere on the popular OTT platform ZEE5. Critics praised the series to no end, with Dia Mirza garnering overwhelming response for the portrayal of a Pakistani woman wrongly imprisoned in India. After winning the hearts of the audience, Kaafir is now impressing juries at various awards shows.
At the recently concluded Gold Awards in Mumbai, Kaafir won a slew of awards. Producer Siddharth Malhotra is ecstatic to have received immense critical acclaim for his web-series. Kaafir bagged the Best Web Series OTT (Critics) award at the prestigious award function along with Best Actor OTT Female (Critics) award for lead actor Dia Mirza.
Expressing his happiness over the win, Siddharth Malhotra says, “Kaafir is a very special story, not just because of the script and the actors but because of the message it delivers and the reality it showcases. It upholds that humanity is the biggest religion and we must be true followers. Receiving these awards for the show has reinforced my belief in the audiences and the content industry yet again. I am reassured that as long as one is being driven by good scripts, appreciation will follow.”
Kaafir is not the first project which showed the creative genius of producer Siddharth Malhotra. He has created a lot of path-breaking content in the past, including for films as well as television. He is known for producing the much-loved medical drama Sanjivani at a time when these genres were not really unexplored and saas-bahu sagas were ruling the roost.
Malhotra’s last directorial venture Hichki (2018) is yet another example of his prowess. Starring Rani Mukerji in the lead role, the movie turned out to be a major commercial success at the box-office and won several awards.
Forum brings UK and Chinese film professionals together to explore collaborations.
Emerging British-Asian talent gain mentorship and international exposure.
Small-scale dramas, kids’ shows, and adapting popular formats were the projects everyone was talking about.
Telling stories that feel real to their culture, yet can connect with anyone, is what makes them work worldwide.
Meeting three times a year keeps the UK and China talking, creating opportunities that last beyond one event.
The theatre was packed for the Third Shanghai–London Screen Industry Forum. Between panels and workshops, filmmakers, producers and executives discussed ideas and business cards and it felt more than just a summit. British-Asian filmmakers were meeting and greeting the Chinese industry in an attempt to explore genuine possibilities of working in China’s film market.
UK China film collaborations take off as Third Shanghai London Forum connects British Asian filmmakers with Chinese studios Instagram/ukchinafilm
What makes the forum important for British-Asian filmmakers?
For filmmakers whose films explore identity and belonging, this is a chance to show their work on an international stage, meet Chinese directors, talk co-productions and break cultural walls that normally feel unscalable. “It’s invaluable,” Abid Khan said after a panel, “because you can’t create globally if you don’t talk globally.”
And it’s not just established names. Young filmmakers were all around, pitching ideas and learning on the go. The forum gave them a chance to get noticed with mentoring, workshops, and live pitch sessions.
Which projects are catching international attention?
Micro-dramas are trending. Roy Lu of Linmon International says vertical content for apps is “where it’s at.” They’ve done US, Canada, Australia and next stop, Europe. YouTube is back in focus too, thanks to Rosemary Reed of POW TV Studios. Short attention spans and three-minute hits, she’s ready.
Children’s and sports shows are another hotspot. Jiella Esmat of 8Lions is developing Touch Grass, a football-themed children’s show. The logic is simple: sports and kids content unite families, like global glue.
Then there’s format adaptation. Lu also talked about Nothing But 30, a Chinese series with 7 billion streams. The plan is for an english version in London. Not a straight translation, but a cultural transformation. “‘30’ in London isn’t just words,” Lu says. “It’s a new story.”
Jason Zhang of Stellar Pictures says international audiences respond when culture isn’t just a background prop. Lanterns, flowers, rituals, they’re part of the plot. Cedric Behrel from Trinity CineAsia adds: you need context. Western audiences don’t know Journey to the West, so co-production helps them understand without diluting the story.
Economic sense matters too. Roy Lu stresses: pick your market, make it financially viable. Esmat likens ideal co-productions to a marriage: “Multicultural teams naturally think about what works globally and what doesn’t.”
The UK-China Film Collab’s Future Talent Programme is taking on eight students or recent grads this year. They’re getting the backstage access to international filmmaking that few ever see, including mentorship, festival organising and hands-on experience. Alumni are landing real jobs: accredited festival journalists, Beijing producers, curators at The National Gallery.
Adrian Wootton OBE reminded everyone: “We exist through partnerships, networks, and collaboration.” Yin Xin from Shanghai Media Group noted that tri-annual gathering: London, Shanghai, Hong Kong create an “intensive concentration” of ideas.
Actor-director Zhang Luyi said it best: cultural exchange isn’t telling your story to someone, it’s creating stories together.
The Shanghai-London Screen Industry Forum is no longer just a talking shop. It’s a launchpad, a bridge. And for British-Asian filmmakers and emerging talent, it’s a chance to turn ideas into reality.
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