British Asian Drama Never Had a Chance to debut at the UK Asian Film Festival next month

Award-winning British Asian indie drama Never Had A Chance, a gritty and heartfelt portrayal of West London life, will debut at the UK Asian Film Festival on 5th May 2026, ahead of a wider UK cinema rollout.

Directed/Produced by Jazz Bhalla of Reelistic Dreams, and produced by Vikrant Chopra of Bridging The Gap Films Ltd.(BTG Films Ltd), Ben Pengilly of Onset Octopus and Rajinder Kochar, the film has already built momentum on the UK and international festival circuit, with successful screenings at the London Independent Film Festival, British and Irish Film Festival Luxembourg and Northampton Film Festival.

Starring Amar Chaggar and set within Hounslow’s Punjabi community, Never Had a Chance follows Ravi, a young man navigating the weight of his past while trying to build a future. When a new connection offers a glimpse of something more stable and meaningful, he finds himself at a crossroads. But those closest to him threaten to pull him deeper into a life he is trying to leave behind.

Rooted in the lived realities of West London, the film offers an unfiltered yet compassionate look at identity, friendship and survival. It captures the richness and complexity of British Asian culture, spotlighting a community rarely portrayed on screen with this level of nuance and authenticity. Through its characters, Never Had a Chance explores the tension between circumstance and choice, and the universal desire for a second chance.

The screening at the UK Asian Film Festival marks a significant milestone for the film, placing it within an established platform known for championing South Asian storytelling and emerging British Asian voices. The screening will bring the film to new audiences while celebrating its cultural relevance and grassroots origins.

Never Had A Chance Director Jazz Bhalla states, “This film comes from a real place. It reflects the environments, pressures and choices that exist for a lot of young people growing up in West London. Screening at the UK Asian Film Festival is a huge moment for us, because it’s a platform that truly understands and champions stories like this. At its heart, Never Had a Chance is about identity, consequence and the idea that even when the odds are stacked against you, the desire for something better never goes away.”

To accompany the film, the soundtrack draws on British Asian music and dub influences, channeling the sound of West London and bringing the culture to life through a raw and immersive audio experience.

Never Had A Chance will screen at the UK Asian Film Festival on Tuesday 5th May at the Kiln Cinema. For more information and tickets please visit https://www.tonguesonfire.com/whats-on/never-had-a-chance

Following its festival premiere, Never Had A Chance will screen in cinemas across the UK, with dates and locations to be announced. Key cast and crew includes Amar Chaggar as Ravi, Jayant Singh as Jay and Tina Sharma as Sukhy, alongside Amit Dhut, Bhasker Patel, Parvinder Shergill, Saddiqua Akhtar, Hajaz Akram, Raj Singh, Shah Hussain and Raj Singh. The film is directed by Jaz Bhalla and produced by Vikrant Chopra, Ben Pengilly and Rajinder Kochar.

Reelistic Dreams and Bridging the Gap films also have a film in La Cinef at the Cannes Film Festival 2026 that they have Executive Produced, along with producer Giovanni Labadessa from Lumiere Lab and Joao Perreira Webber.