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The director of 'I want to be like Beckham' now directs 'Blinded by the Light', a romantic comedy with a soundtrack by Bruce Springsteen

Gurinder Chadha (Nairobi, Kenya, 1960) rose to fame as a filmmaker in 2002 with I want to be like Beckham , a film starring a young Keira Knightley. After having directed feature films such as Weddings and Prejudices or The Last Viceroy of India and series such as Beecham House , now premieres Blinded by the Light . This dramatic comedy features a soundtrack that includes the great successes of Bruce Springsteen and tells the story of Javed, a young Briton of Pakistani origin who discovers, in the 80s, that The Boss songs seem to have been written for him.

'Blinded by the Light' trailer.

Did you know that Bruce Springsteen has many fans in Spain? Yes. And it doesn't surprise me. As we say in Punjabi, Bruce has "Hum Bodi," which means empathy. The lyrics of his songs have to do with ordinary people who, in many occasions, go through difficult times but find a way to get ahead. What role has the writer Sarfraz Manzoor played in this project? I have been friends with you for a long time and we are both big fans of Bruce Springsteen. When I read his book I told him that I knew how to turn it into a movie, but that before we needed Bruce's support to get the rights to his songs. So, when the musician came to London in 2010 to promote his documentary The Promise: The Making of Darkness at the Edge of Town , I took Sarfraz to the preview and we placed ourselves on the red carpet like a couple of fans. When he approached, he recognized Sarfraz, congratulated him on the book and I took the opportunity to ask for his support with the film. He replied: "I think it's a good idea." And what happened next? We wrote the script, we looked for funding and the years went by ... until Brexit occurred, which awoke in the UK a certain xenophobic movement that worried me. Bruce's songs offer the opposite message, saying that we must be united and that there is no such thing as "them against us." He says in one of his songs that there is no victory if we don't win all. I wanted to do something cheerful and full of hope. So this is my anti-Brexit movie.

The protagonist is an English boy of Pakistani origin who lives in the 80s.

History speaks of chasing dreams, not forgetting where we come from and the links with our loved ones. Indeed, the protagonist has his dreams, but his parents have others for him, which causes a dramatic and emotional situation. It is normal that we need the support of our parents. Above all, if we want to follow a different path from theirs. So, on the one hand, we want to please our parents and respect them. But, on the other, we want to follow our path. And that support is something that is not always achieved. For example, Bruce's father never supported him or told him he was proud of him, which has caused a sadness in Bruce. Do you know if Springsteen liked the movie? ”While I was shooting it, I thought I wanted him to like it, so I showed him a first montage as soon as I finished it. He was quiet. So I thought he didn't like it. But, as soon as the lights in the room came on, he came over, gave me a hug and said, "Thank you for taking care of me in such a beautiful way." Then I understood that what he liked about the film is the way he relives songs that he composed as a young man showing them in a relevant way today.

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