More than three years ago the National Media Museum announced the end of the Bite The Mango film festival, much to the regret of Irfan Ajeeb, its former director.

“It had so much potential. It’s just sad to see these years of building coming to an abrupt end,” he said at the time, in July 2010.

Although Mr Ajeeb left the NMM in 2005 in the hope of pursuing a film career in Bollywood, he never entirely let go of the festival, which at its inception in 1995 was intended to showcase world cinema.

Declining box office admissions, from 3,200 in 2005 to just 407 in 2009, especially at a time when the museum was going through a bit of a crisis, meant the end of Bite The Mango.

It didn’t look good, UNESCO’s first World City of Film losing a film festival after 15 years. But from next month the festival, aided by £10,000 from Bradford Council, is making a comeback.

In its new incarnation as Beyond The Mango there is a week-long schedule of 16 screenings and interviews scheduled from November 1 to 9.

Irfan Ajeeb said: “We’re launching the festival at Pictureville in the National Media Museum with a Bollywood blockbuster, Krrish 3, the tale of a superhero directed by Rakesh Roshan, starring his son Hrithik Roshan, one of the biggest stars of Bollywood today, and the leading actress Priyanka Chopra.

“The film is being released to the world through Eros International on the same day, so it will be a special preview screening for Bradford.

“I thought it would make a statement. We’re not opening the festival with an art house movie but with an out-and-out Bollywood blockbuster.

“The same night Bollywood director Mahesh Bhatt and the actress Samina Peerzada will be there. I’ll be talking to them on stage at Pictureville. The last time Mahesh Bhatt came to the UK was in 2005 when he attended the last Bite The Mango festival that I directed.”

The opening night launch was to have consisted of the film I Went Shopping For Robert DeNiro and a talk with Anupam Kher. This will now take place at Cineworld in Bradford on Saturday, November 9.

Beyond The Mango is not being organised by the National Media Museum. Bradford’s newest film festival is in the hands of Syima Aslam, Irfan Ajeeb and two other former NMM film colleagues – Tony Earnshaw, who used to direct the Bradford International Film Festival, and Bill Lawrence, who was head of cinema.

Mr Lawrence said: “Syima and myself have been working to get the festival back since 2010. It’s not an easy festival to do, but it is important.

“It’s about communities working together, seeing the best in other cultures. On Wednesday, November 2, at Cineworld we’re showing a documentary about the Alabama recording studios Muscle Shoals.

“The documentary typifies what we’re trying to do with Beyond The Mango – getting people of different backgrounds to work together.

“The festival wouldn’t have been possible without money from Bradford Council to pay for the flights of the guests. The Midland Hotel has also been great in offering us free accommodation for the week. We also had a donation from Safestyle, a Bradford double glazing firm.

“People have been saying to us, we have to get this festival going again.”

After Irfan left the National Media Museum, Bite The Mango lost its impetus. Since then Bradford College has linked up with the Whistling Woods Film Studio in Mumbai to run a film course. The time is right, if ever it was going to be, for the revived Mango to be fruitful.

“We’re not making any money from it,” Irfan Ajeeb added. “But Bradford Council’s support gives me hope that the leaders of Council believe in the idea for the future.

“The first year of any festival is always a struggle. My aim is to get it off the ground for next year. Apart from the Indian Film Festival in London, there’s nothing like this in the UK.

“When Bite The Mango was in its prime we didn’t fully appreciate it. Beyond The Mango offers the opportunity to put that right.”

Bradford’s newest film festival opens at the National Media Museum on Friday, November 1.