Award-winning British Asian indie drama Never Had A Chance, a gritty and heartfelt portrayal of West London life, screened at the fifth Kingston International Film Festival (KIFF) on Friday, 5 June, ahead of a wider UK cinema rollout, and projected a variety of juxtoposing emotions; from fun and humour to drama and heartache.

But what stood out most was its sense of reality and relatability, which so expertly captured a glimpse of life in a small Punjabi community in Hounslow.

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 UK Asian Film Festival, London Independent Film Festival, British and Irish Film Festival Luxembourg, and Northampton Film Festival.

Starring Amar Chaggar (Ravi) and set in Hounslow's Punjabi community, Never Had a Chance follows Ravi, a young man navigating the weight of his past as he tries 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 such 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.

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From the moment the film starts, it is clear that it is based on a sense of reality as the characters present the traditional "road man" accents of South West London, and the feeling of brotherhood between Ravi and his best mate Jay (Jayant Singh) mimics that of real-life best friends from a small and isolated community.

Despite being an independent film, its videography is spectacular, carefully capturing well-known locations within South West London, including Heathrow and the River Thames.

From the onset, Never Had A Chance displays scenes of violence and drug use as well as adult language, so this film is definitely not for younger viewers.

However, at the heart of the story is the relationship between Ravi and Sukhi (Tina Sharmer), and the chemistry between Chaggar and Sharmer appeared so real that I couldn't help but wonder whether the actors have a romantic relationship offscreen.

Despite reminding me of the award-winning American show Breaking Bad with its prevalent drug theme and series of unfortunate events, I loved how real and ordinary the characters in Bhalla's film are, with Ravi working on a construction site, Sukhi working in a chicken shop, and Ravi frequently getting wrecked in his local boozer with his friends.

The acting in Never Had A Chance is incredible, and I must applaud the whole cast for portraying their characters so authentically.

Despite not wanting to like Jay due to his drug and gambling addictions and bringing protagonist Ravi down with him, Singh did a spectacular job of creating empathy for his character, and Jay's plot ending was truly heartbreaking - I literally had to hold back my tears.

Equally, actress Parvinder Shergill does an excellent job of playing the stereotypical overbearing, older Punjabi sister, constantly nagging at Ravi to better himself.

And one particular scene which struck me deeply was the one in which Ravi finds that Sukhi has been beaten up by her disapproving, alcoholic father. While the makeup for the bruises may have been a bit over the top, Chaggar's portrayal of the protective, doting boyfriend made me root for the couple even more.

Director Bhalla told Nub News that while Never Had A Chance is fictional, he wanted to portray an authentic image of the Punjabi community in Hounslow, and he did just that.

One example of this that resonated with me from the film was Sukhi's brother and father being overprotective and almost dictator-like.

In one scene, Ravi and Jay stop outside of Sukhi's house, and Ravi wants Sukhi to come out.

However, Jay asks Ravi how it would be possible for Sukhi to leave the house late at night to meet a man when her dad and brother are at home.

"You've been out of the game for a while," he says.

I have mentioned that Never Had A Chance reminds me of Breaking Bad, and that is because every time things start to look up for Ravi, he is met with an unexpected obstacle, just like in the American show.

The film has an open ending, allowing viewers to make their own interpretations, and I love how Bhalla sent Jay's plot line in a different direction to what viewers may have expected it to be, adding to the authenticity of Never Had A Chance.

In an exclusive interview with Nub News, Bhalla said: "The film has come from a personal, personal place. It's something I've always wanted to do. I've always had it in my head.

"I've been working in the film industry in the lighting department. I run a company called Reelistic Lighting, and I've always wanted to make a true film, an honest film about where I come from and my background.

"And normally, Indians are depicted as comedians in films, with audiences being like 'oh, look how funny those Indian guys are'. So, I wanted to do something a bit more realistic about where I'm from and shed light on a few issues within the community, which are normally brushed under the carpet or people don't know which are, in my opinion, really important issues in the industry and in our community.

"But they need to shed light on it. Without being too cliche, I was trying to express myself, and while it's not a true story, it's something that I've seen growing up."

Speaking about screening at KIFF on Friday, Bhalla said: "I had the pleasure of screening my film in the Kingston Odeon, courtesy of Kingston International Film Festival, who were kind enough to select my film to screen at their festival.

"It went really well. We had about 40 to 50 people there, a really engaging Q&A afterwards, and it was just an absolute pleasure to be somewhere local."

Bhalla says there are talks that he may be able to start screening Never Had A Chance in Odeon cinemas across the country soon.

The KIFF screening was welcomed with a massive applause from the audience, and I cannot praise Bhalla more for creating an excellent film.

It had me laughing, crying, and gripping my chair, all in just under two hours.