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Bend It Like Beckham

Movie Bend It Like Beckham Director Gurinder Chadha Producer Kintop Pictures Cast Parminder Nagra, Anupam Kher, Keira Knightley

By Ad-Lib Rating: * * * * There have been many movies made on the NRI population but none that captures the true picture of the life of a woman, who wants to follow her dreams but is held back by the responsibilities to her family, like Bend it Like Beckham. This masala comedy can best be described as hilarious yet containing a hidden message. Jess Bhamra (Parminder Nagra) is a typical Sikh girl but is crazy about football and David Beckham. Her family, consisting of her father (Anupam Kher), soon to be married sister Pinky (Archie Punjabi) and mother (Shaheen Khan), is a typical Indian family that wants to get the girls married off. When Jess is playing in the park one day, she is asked by Jules Paxton (Keira Knightley) to join the local women`s league. There, Jess meets the coach Joe (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) who, after seeing her football prowess, asks her to join in immediately. Jess however has to hide the fact that she plays football from her parents, as it is inappropriate for an Indian girl to show her legs in front of thousands of men. Jules faces a similar problem and in her case, her mother wants her to be more `girlie` and act like other girls of her age. With the new addition, the team starts to go places but on one occasion when they go to Germany, Jess ends up drunk and almost kisses Joe, despite knowing that Jules has a crush on him. This creates a rift between them and the others. As the day of Pinky`s marriage approaches, Jess has to seriously consider abandoning her dreams of going professional in the US and be a typical Indian woman. In the end, however, Jess` dad understands that she is happiest when playing football and allows her to pursue her dreams. This is a satirical look at a typical sardar family. The hypocrisies of Indianism and the dilemma that faces every Indian woman who has to live in two cultures at the same time. Shaheen Khan and Anupam Kher are brilliant as Jess` troubled parents and Parminder also plays her role well. Keira Knightley is also pretty good as Jess` friend and confidant though it is odd how she seems to understand Jess` very Indian predicaments every time. Overall, Bend It Like Beckham is a must see for the whole family.