“What’s Love Got to Do With It?” by veteran filmmaker Shekhar Kapur and “Kachchey Limbu” by debutant Indian director Shubham Yogi (lawyer-turned filmmaker) are among the 18 Gala Presentation Selections for the 47th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), which runs from September 8 to 18. More Indian films are likely to be announced in the coming weeks.

Kapur, whose last fiction feature was the biographical period drama “Elizabeth: The Golden Age” nearly a decade and a half ago, has returned with a 108-minute cross-cultural rom-com starring Lily James, Emma Thompson, Sajal Ali, Shazad Latif, and Shabana Azmi. Jemima Khan co-produced and wrote the script for the project.

The film was completed earlier this year, marking the 75-year-old director’s return to feature-length projects. The story is set in both the United Kingdom and Pakistan and follows the journey of a documentary filmmaker and dating app addict (Lily James) who decides to document her childhood friend and neighbour Kaz’s (Shazad Latif) journey toward arranged marriage. As Zoe films Kaz’s journey from London to Lahore to marry a stranger chosen by his parents, she begins to wonder if she can learn from a very different approach to finding love.

Nitin Sawhney, an Ivor Novello Lifetime Achievement Award winner and Mercury Prize nominee, composed the music for the film.

Another Indian entry, “Kachchey Limbu,” is a sports film starring Radhika Madan (2018’s “Pataakha”) and Ayush Mehra, who is making his acting debut. The movie, which is set in Mumbai, centres on a pair of cricket-playing siblings who must choose between supporting their families and pursuing their dreams.

There are 18 Galas and 45 Special Presentations on the official TIFF 2022 selection of movies. The titles of the films in the Discovery, Contemporary World Cinema, and Platform competition sections have not yet been revealed.

“We’re excited to welcome some of the most celebrated figures in movies back to Toronto to present their Gala and Special Presentation films,” said Cameron Bailey, CEO of TIFF.  “With stories that span six continents and feature performances you just have to see, this lineup delivers the rich experiences we wait all year for. Cinema is alive. Red carpets are back. And the best audience in the world awaits them in Toronto.” 

The 2020 and 2021 editions of TIFF could not be planned as physical events due to pandemic-induced lockdowns. 200 feature films will be screened at the festival in total in 2022 as opposed to 260 in 2019.