The film version of Salman Rushdie's "Midnight's Children", one of the most cherished award-winning novels of the 20th century, premiered in the 56th London Film Festival on Monday.

It tells the story of a pair of children born when India gained independence from Britain. The novel includes negative portrayals of senior Indian political figures, which led to Rushdie being sued by former prime minister Indira Gandhi. 

In an interview with Al Jazeera, Rushdie, who is also the author of the controversial novel The Satanic Verses - which earned him a death threat from Iran - urged fellow writers to not give way to religious or political pressures when expressing their ideas.

Al Jazeera's Tim Friend reports from London.