Development for the film began after Chadha, Bindra, and Berges completed the screenplay by early 2001. Nagra and Knightley were hired soon after, with casting rounded out with the additions of Meyers, Kher, Stevenson, Lewis, and Panjabi by that May. Principal photography began in June 2001 and lasted until September, with filming locations including London, Shepperton Studios, and Hamburg. Production collaborated with The Football Association, while the film's title refers to David Beckham's curlingfree kick technique, also known as bending.[8][9]
Bend It Like Beckham was theatrically released first in the United Kingdom on 12 April 2002 by Redbus Film Distribution. The film surprised critics, who praised the screenplay, light-hearted tone, and commentary on Punjabi social norms and culture. Bend It Like Beckham grossed $76.6million at the box office, making it the highest-grossing football sports film.[10] In 2015 it was adapted into a stage musical that opened at the Phoenix Theatre.[11]
Plot
18-year-old Jesminder "Jess" Bhamra is the daughter of British IndianPunjabiSikhs living in Hounslow, London. Jess is passionate about football, but her parents do not support her interest, preferring that she focus on academics. However, she sometimes plays in the park with boys, including her best friend, Tony, who is thought to be interested in Jess, but is revealed to be gay later in the film. Jess's family is occupied with planning for the upcoming wedding of her older sister Pinky.
Jules Paxton, a member of the Hounslow Harriers, a local women's amateur football team, notices Jess's football skills and befriends her, inviting her to try out for the team. The coach, Joe, a young Irish former player whose own career was derailed by injuries, accepts her into the team. Although Jess's parents (mainly her mother) forbid her to join the team, she continues playing in secret, claiming to have a summer job when she is actually at football practice. When Joe learns that Jess is on the team without her parents' permission, he pleads with Mr. Bhamra to allow Jess to play, but he refuses, revealing that he does not want Jess to suffer the way he did when he was excluded from a cricket club because of anti-Indian sentiment.
With Pinky covering for her, Jess travels with the team to play a match in Germany; the Harriers lose the match after Jess fails to score a penalty kick. When they go out clubbing in Hamburg after the match, Jules catches Joe and Jess about to kiss. This sours the two girls' friendship, as Jules also is attracted to Joe despite denying fancying him when Jess asked her earlier. Furthermore, Jess's parents find out she is still playing football after her father sees a newspaper article about the Hamburg match. After returning, Jess goes to Jules's house to try to patch up their friendship but is rebuffed. Jules's mother, confused by overhearing parts of their argument out of context, thinks they are in a lesbian relationship. (Although Jules's father correctly warns his wife that she is possibly jumping to the wrong conclusions, she remains adamant.)
Jess's father secretly attends one of her games and sees Jess mocked with a racial slur by an opposing player, and Joe hugging her afterward to comfort her. The Harriers qualify for the finals of the league tournament, but the championship match, with an American talent scout in attendance, is to be held on the same day as Pinky's wedding, so Jess resigns herself to missing the game. At Pinky's wedding, Jess is visibly miserable; her father tells her to go to the game so she can be happy on her sister's wedding day. The Harriers are behind 1–0 when Jess arrives, but they rally, and eventually, Jess wins the game with a free kick. The scout offers Jess and Jules sports scholarships at Santa Clara University in California. Jules and Jess share a hug and kiss to celebrate, furthering Jules's mother's suspicions. Jess returns to the wedding, happy and able to celebrate. Jules heads to the wedding as well, being given a ride by her mother, who, upon arriving, confronts Jess and accuses her of being a hypocrite and a lesbian. Jules drags her mother away, angrily clarifying her friendship with Jess and her sexual orientation.
Later that day, Jess has still not told her parents about the scholarship; she is afraid they might not allow her to go to the United States on her own. Tony, attempting to help Jess, decides to lie to the family and tell them he will get engaged to Jess as long as she gets to go to any college she wants. The Bhamras happily accept, but Jess immediately confesses the truth. Jess's mother ignores Jess's heartfelt speech and scolds Jess's father for letting Jess leave Pinky's wedding. But her father announces he doesn't want Jess to suffer as he did and accepts her desire to play football, eventually leading her mother to finally accept it as well. Jess runs to the football field to tell Joe of her parents' decision. The two almost kiss, but Jess pulls away, saying her parents would object, and that although they had come far enough to let her go to the United States to play, she doesn't think they would be able to handle another cultural rebellion from her.
On the day of Jess and Jules's flight to the United States, the two are about to board the plane when Joe arrives and confesses his love for Jess. The two kiss secretly and Jess agrees to sort out their relationship (and her parents) when she returns for Christmas. While at the airport, they see David Beckham with his wife Victoria, which Jules takes as a good sign. The two leave through the gate waving happily to their families.
While Jess and Jules are away, they send a team photo indicating their continued success in football. Pinky is revealed to be pregnant and Mr. Bhamra gets back into playing cricket and is seen playing outside with Joe and Pinky's husband.
Additionally David and Victoria Beckham appear in non-speaking cameos in the airport scene at the film's conclusion.
Production
Gurinder Chadha co-wrote the script with Guljit Bindra and screenwriting partner Paul Mayeda Berges. Nayar and Chadha actively pursued financing for the film at Sundance Film Festival. Having previously worked with Road Movies, a German production company on several other projects, Nayar approached them and they came on board, followed by British Screen and The Film Council. The film is loosely based on the life of Permi Jhooti.[12]
Helkon SK, formerly known as Redbus, picked up the script. Fox Searchlight Pictures picked up the rights for distribution in the United States at the Cannes Film Festival in 2002.[13] For its American cinema release it was suggested that the title of the movie be changed to Move It Like Mia, as marketeers were concerned that American audience would be unfamiliar with David Beckham.[14]
Filming
Principal photography began on 18 June 2001. A variety of locations around London and Shepperton Studios, Surrey were used for the nine-week shoot, with the semi-final taking place over a three-day period in Hamburg, Germany.[13]
Bend It Like Beckham was released theatrically on 12 April 2002 by Redbus Film Distribution. The film then received a limited theatrical release in the United States on 12 March 2003 by Fox Searchlight Pictures. When originally released in the United Kingdom, it topped the country's box office for the next three weekends, before being overtaken by About a Boy.[15][16]
Home media
The film was released on DVD and VHS on 18 November 2002 in Europe by Warner Home Video and released on 30 September 2003 in the United States by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. Among the DVD bonus features, several scenes did not make the final release. Some include dialogue from Pinky's friends and from Jules, as well as her mother meeting Kevin and his friends outside a shop, which would have been helpful, as Kevin is mentioned three times but is never seen.
On the North American Billboard video charts, the film entered the top ten of the Top DVD Sales and Top DVD Rentals charts, at number six on Top VHS Sales, and number seven on Top VHS Rentals.[17]
In the United Kingdom, it was the sixth most-watched film of 2003 on subscription television, with 810,000 viewers on Sky Premier that year.[18] It was later the most-watched film on UK television during the first half of 2005, with 7.3 million viewers on BBC1 during that period.[19] Combined, the film drew at least 8.11 million UK viewership during 2003 and 2005.
The film was released on Blu Ray by VIA VISION of Australia in October 2024.
Reception
Critical response
Bend It Like Beckham surprised critics and met with mostly positive reviews. Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 85% based on 154 reviews, with an average rating of 7.2/10. The consensus states, "Inspiring, compassionate, and with a sly undercurrent of social commentary, Bend It Like Beckham is a lively feel-good movie that genuinely charms."[20]Metacritic gave the movie a score of 66 based on 32 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[21]
Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times noted that the film "was really full of easy humor, an impeccable sense of milieu that is the result of knowing the culture intimately enough to poke fun at it while understanding its underlying integrity."[22]
The Times of India noted the film's social context, saying, "[it] is really about the bending of rules, social paradigms and lives – all to finally curl that ball, bending it like Beckham, through the goalpost of ambition... The creeping divide shows that Britain is changing, but hasn't quite changed yet. The stiff upper lip has traveled miles from the time Chadha's father was denied a pint at some pubs at Southall, but like dollops of coagulated spice in badly stirred curry, discrimination crops up to spoil the taste, every now and then, in multi-racial Britain."[23]
Planet Bollywood gave the film a mark of 9 out of 10: the "screenplay not only explores the development of Jess as a person, but also the changing values and culture of NRI teens: Jess's urge to break the social norm of the Indian home-maker, her sister's (Archie Punjabi) sexually active relationship, and the gay Indian [Tony, played by Ameet Chana]."[24]
The Hindu argued, "If ever there is a film that is positive, realistic and yet delightful, then it has to be Dream Production's latest venture directed by Gurinder Chadha... Light-hearted, without taking away the considerable substance in terms of values, attitudes and the love for sport, the film just goes to prove that there are ways to be convincing and honest."[25]
Jamie Russell at the BBC gave it 4 out of 5 stars, and argued that "Mr Beckham ought to be proud to have his name on such a great film."[26] The British film was distributed by iDream Productions in India,[27] and went on to set the record in India for most tickets sold during a single weekend for a foreign movie.[citation needed]
Bend it Like Beckham has also been favorably received by LGBTQ+ community members and press, with one reviewer from Vice noting its discussion of queer themes and symbolic queer undertones. The reviewer also shares: "Keira Knightley told PrideSource that she wants a lesbian Bend it Like Beckham sequel and agreed that her and Parminder’s characters should've ended up together."
Box office
In the United Kingdom, the film grossed over £11million, making it one of the highest-grossing Black/Asian-themed British films.[28] With $32.5 million in US box office revenue,[29]Bend It Like Beckham became the highest-grossing Indian-themed film in the United States[30] since Gandhi (1982).[31] At the time of its release, Bend It Like Beckham became the highest-grossing association football themed sports film in the United States; it remains the third highest-grossing film there in this genre (behind Kicking & Screaming and She's the Man).[32] The film grossed $76.6 million worldwide.[29]
The U.K. soundtrack release features bhangra music, and songs by the Spice Girls' Victoria Beckham and Melanie C and rock band Texas. It also features "Baddest Ruffest" by Backyard Dog, the aria Nessun Dorma, from Puccini's Turandot and excerpts from dance band Basement Jaxx. The U.S. soundtrack release rearranges the tracks and excludes some material. "Dream the Dream" by Shaznay Lewis and Amar'sHindi cover of "Jennifer Rush's The Power Of Love" appears in the film along with another Hindi cover of "The Power Of Love" with male vocals that appears in the ending credits but these tracks are absent from both of the soundtrack releases.
A stage musical version of the film opened at London's Phoenix Theatre in June 2015.[11]
On 7 May 2019 it was announced that the stage production, which debuted in London's West End, would have its North American premiere in Toronto, with a limited run at the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts' Bluma Appel Theatre beginning in December 2019.
Keira Christina Knightley OBE is an English actress. Known for her work in independent films and blockbusters, particularly period dramas, she has received numerous accolades, including nominations for two Academy Awards, two BAFTAs, three Golden Globes, and a Laurence Olivier Award. In 2018, she was appointed an OBE at Buckingham Palace for services to drama and charity.
Gurinder Kaur Chadha, is a Kenyan-born British film director of Indian origin. Most of her films explore the lives of Indians living in England. The common theme in her work showcases the trials of Indian women residing in the UK and how they must reconcile their converging traditional and modern cultures. Many of her films address social and emotional issues, especially ones faced by immigrants caught between two worlds.
Baljit Singh "Bally" Sagoo is a British-Indian record producer and DJ. Born in Delhi, India, Sagoo was raised in Birmingham, England. He entered the recording and entertainment industries in 1989. He is the figurehead of the UK/Belgium-based entertainment company, Fresh Dope Industries.
Paul Mayeda Berges is an American screenwriter and director. He is known for his work on films such as 2002's Bend It Like Beckham.
Parminder Kaur Nagra is an English actress. She is known for portraying Jess Bhamra in the film Bend It Like Beckham (2002) and Dr. Neela Rasgotra in the NBC medical drama ER (2003–2009). Her other television roles include Meera Malik in the first season of the NBC crime drama The Blacklist (2013–2014) and a recurring role in the ABC/Marvel series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2016–2017) as Ellen Nadeer for season four. More recently, Nagra has starred as the titular character of the ITV series DI Ray (2022–2024).
Archana Panjabi is an English actress. She has had various roles in both UK and US television including as Maya Roy in Life on Mars (2006–07), Nas Kamal in Blindspot, Kendra Malley in Departure (2019–present), and Kalinda Sharma in The Good Wife (2009–15). Her work in the latter earned her a Primetime Emmy Award in 2010 and an NAACP Image Award in 2012, as well as two further Emmy nominations, one Golden Globe nomination, and three Screen Actors Guild Award nominations shared with the cast. Panjabi is the first Asian actor to win a Primetime Emmy for acting. Other notable roles include Meenah Khan in East Is East (1999), Pinky Bhamra in Bend It Like Beckham (2002), Yasmin Husseini in Yasmin (2004), and Asra Nomani in A Mighty Heart (2007).
Filmi qawwali is a form of qawwali music found in the Lollywood, Dhallywood, Tollywood, and Bollywood film industries.
Sarita Khajuria was a British actress of Indian and Finnish descent.
Preeya Kalidas is an English singer and actress. She played Amira Masood in the soap opera EastEnders, from 2009 to 2012. She released the single "Shimmy" in July 2010, taken from her proposed debut album (I'm Over It) Constant Craving; however, the album was never released.
Lin Liang-chung, also credited as Jong Lin, is a Taiwanese-born cinematographer. He is best known for his contributions to several of director Ang Lee's early films. Lin collaborated with prominent directors in mainland China and internationally, including serving as cinematographer for Gurinder Chadha in the British film Bend It Like Beckham. He is sometimes credited as "Josh Lin".
It's a Wonderful Afterlife is a 2010 British comedy film directed by Gurinder Chadha. The screenplay centres on an Indian mother whose obsession with marrying off her daughter leads her into the realm of serial murder. It was filmed primarily in English, with some Hindi and Punjabi dialogue. The title is a reference to Chadha's personal attachment to Frank Capra's film It's a Wonderful Life. Chadha also co-produced the film, and co-wrote the screenplay with her husband and producing partner, Paul Mayeda Berges. The lead role is played by newcomer Goldy Notay, joining Shabana Azmi, Shaheen Khan, Sendhil Ramamurthy and Sally Hawkins in the cast.
Kuljit Bhamra MBE Hon DMus is a British composer, record producer and musician whose main instrument is the tabla. He is best known as one of the record producers who pioneered the British Bhangra sound and for his many collaborations with musicians from different genres and continents. His MBE was awarded in the Queen's Birthday Honour's List 2009 with the citation For services to Bhangra and British Asian Music. In July 2010 he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Exeter.
The Asian Awards is an annual award ceremony for the global Asian community which takes place in the United Kingdom, with 14 categories that include business, philanthropy, entertainment, culture and sport. Nominees are selected by an independent judging panel initially co-chaired by Baroness Verma and Nat Wei, Baron Wei then from 2014 onwards Karan Bilimoria, Baron Bilimoria.
Goldy Notay is a British-Canadian film, television and stage actress. She played 'Roopi' as the lead role in the Gurinder Chadha film It's A Wonderful Afterlife. She has appeared as Shireen in the Mike Bartlett drama The Town and Amar Akbar & Tony a comedy Brit flick on Netflix. She is currently in the 6 part ITV series Beecham House, directed by Gurinder Chadha.
Bend It Like Beckham the Musical is a musical with music by Howard Goodall, lyrics by Charles Hart, and a book by Gurinder Chadha and Paul Mayeda Berges. Based on the 2002 film of the same name, the musical made its West End and world premiere at the Phoenix Theatre in May 2015.
Viceroy's House is a 2017 fictional drama film directed by Gurinder Chadha and written by Paul Mayeda Berges, Moira Buffini, and Chadha. The film stars Hugh Bonneville, Gillian Anderson, Manish Dayal, Huma Qureshi, and Michael Gambon. It was selected to be screened out of competition at the 67th Berlin International Film Festival.
Beecham House is a short-lived British historical drama television series set in 1795, co-created, directed and produced by Gurinder Chadha. The six-part series was announced in August 2018 and was broadcast between Sunday 23 June 2019 and Sunday 21 July 2019. The series, set in Delhi during the Mughal period, depicts the lives of the Beecham family in their newly bought house. The family is headed by John Beecham, a former soldier with the East India Company who is "determined to make the house his safe haven".
Selvaggia Quattrini is an Italian actress and voice actress.
Shaheen Khan is a British film, television and stage actress and playwright of Indian descent, based in London.
Christmas Karma is an upcoming British film written and directed by Gurinder Chadha and starring Charithra Chandran, Kunal Nayyar and Hugh Bonneville. It is a Bollywood musical inspired adaptation of Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol.
↑ "Home Video". Billboard. Vol.115, no.43. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 25 October 2003. p.55. Archived from the original on 15 February 2024. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
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