‘Blinded by the Light’ might just serve as the perfect sequel to Gurinder Chadha’s ‘Bend it Like Beckham’

‘Blinded by the Light’ might just serve as the perfect sequel to Gurinder Chadha’s ‘Bend it Like Beckham’
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Here’s everything that you need to know about the movie which pays a heartfelt tribute to Bruce Springsteen.

Music is perhaps the most mysterious creation of humans where something so shapeless and formless can create an everlasting impact. The upcoming British comedy, ‘Blinded by the Light’, picks up with this idea how music can merge with life and give it a whole new meaning. Music has served as an abstract character in several movies. In Cameron Crowe’s ‘Almost Famous’ which deals with the life of a young journalist, it is the musical proclivity of both the journalist and the musicians who in their own way are trying to serve the art form.

On the other hand, with films like the Coen Brothers’ ‘Inside Llewyn Davis’, music acts like a saving factor for an artiste whom society fails to recognize. What was even more interesting about this 2013 movie was that music was both the creator and the destroyer for Llewyn who devotes a lifetime in mastering the art form but ultimately fails to capture a loyal audience. Coming back to ‘Blinded By the Light’, it is set to be a gritting tale about music once again acting as the savior but this time on a context which is more politically conscious. This movie looks into the racial discrimination which was extremely prevalent in the 1970s UK, even though the British music then was speaking up against such practice.

‘Inside Llewyn Davis’ told the story of a failed musician. (IMDb)

With the trailer being out, here is everything that you need to know about the upcoming movie:

Release Date:

The movie has already premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival and will release in the UK on August 16. We can expect it to arrive in India sometime by October.

Plot:

It is no news for any Bruce Springsteen fan that the title of the movie is adapted from a track in the singer’s 1973 debut album, ‘Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.’. However, the movie itself in based on the Pakistani-British journalist, Sarfraz Manzoor’s memoir, ‘Greetings from Bury Park’, which chronicalizes his journey from Pakistan to some of the biggest newsrooms in the UK while chiefly focusing on his obsession with Springsteen.

The movie picks up with Manzoor’s younger self, in the character Javed a British teen of Pakistani descent, growing up in the town of Luton, England, in 1987. Amidst the racial and economic turmoil of the times, he writes poetry as a mean to escape the intolerance of his hometown and the inflexibility of his traditional father. But when a classmate introduces him to the music of “the Boss,” Javed sees parallels to his working-class life in Springsteen’s powerful lyrics. As Javed discovers a cathartic outlet for his own pent-up dreams, he also begins to find the courage to express himself in his own unique voice.

 

Cast:

Manzoor’s fictional depiction will be played by Viveik Kalra who has only been acting for a year now. After a brief screen debut on ITV’s ‘Next of Kin’, Kalra locked his place with the leading role in ‘Blinded by the Light’, although he does confess not listening to Springsteen before the role. However, now that he has finally heard “The Boss” Kalra is not listening to anything else, anytime soon.

The British actor will be joined his contemporary, Dean-Charles Chapman who had already played the leading role of Billy Elliot in the West End Theatre Production of ‘Billy Elliot the Musical’. Recently, Chapman gained a worldwide recognition for his role as Tommen Baratheon in the fourth, fifth, and sixth seasons of HBO’s ‘Game of Thrones’.

The movie is bringing in a seemingly young yet extremely talented cast. (IMDb)

The rest of the cast includes, Hayley Atwell, Rob Brydon, Kulvinder Ghir, Nell Williams, and Meera Ganatra.

 

Director:

With a Kenyan Asian origin, Gurinder Chadha’s films reflect the struggles of the minorities in a white-dominated country. Chadha’s stories lurk on the grey zone with characters, chiefly of Indian origin, who represent the marginal sections of society. However, it has always been her passionate take on the little nothings of life which gives Chadha an edge above many such filmmakers who pick up a somewhat similar topic.

After her 2002 breakthrough movie, ‘Bend it Like Beckham’, which followed a young Punjabi girl striving to be a football player in a white dominated football club, she went on to helm several stories such as ‘Bride and Prejudice’ (an adaptation of Jane Austen’s ‘Pride and Prejudice’) and ‘Viceroy’s House’ all of which have revolved around unconventional women characters. However, things are taking a different turn with ‘Blinded by the Light’ she considers to be a spiritual sequel to ‘Bend it Like Beckham’.

 

         ‘Bend it Like Beckham’ was a movie way ahead of its age. (IMDb)

 

Trailer:

The trailer gives a brief look into the story with several snippets of Springsteen’s lyrics finding an elevated virtue in the life of a Pakistani school boy. It takes us for a ride as Javed discovers “The Boss” which turns his whole world upside down. Check out the groovy trailer here.

 

Movies to watch:

Before the movie arrives to India sometime in October, it might be a good thing to travel through the Chadha-verse one more time. Her 2002 movie ‘Bend it Like Beckham’ was movie way ahead of its time, and with some renowned actors such as Parminder Nagra, Keira Knightley, and Anupam Kher in the lead, the movie is a compelling watch in any given era. Similarly, ‘Bride and Prejudice’ was a more modern take on Austen’s 1813 novel, and in its attempt to cross the boundaries between nation, it served as the perfect feast for both Indian and British audience.

The movie was a modern take on Jane Austen’s 19th Century novel. (IMDb)

However, ‘Viceroy’s House’ was a purple patch in her line of work as it heavily inclined on the partition of 1947. Although the film continued to portray unconventional female characters, Chadha took a step ahead to show the personal turmoil that Mountbatten went through during the process.