now on bbc news. talking movies: gurinder chadha special i come here mainly to walk the dog in the morning and in the afternoon, and then also, it s a great place to just clear your thoughts. i ve come to london to meet gurinder chadha, a pioneering figure in the film industry, the first british asian woman to direct mainstream features in the uk. films that have won major awards and become international hits. in her movies, some eight feature films in all, from her best known bend it like beckham. no one can cross a ball or bend it like beckham. ..to her more recent musical drama blinded by the light. stay away from the girls! ..she has brought the screen to life with authentic stories using appealing actors, music. # she s a lady! ..and humour to portray british asian life. the asian experience in the uk has long been herfocus. born in nairobi, gurinder chadha came to the uk as a young child and grew up in southall in west london, home to a big asian community. i m always i
when you think about your work nowadays are you just as enthusiastic about making a film as you were when you did bend it like beckham 20 years ago? i have not changed. i am still incredibly motivated to push that envelope. that is how i see it. i am very keen to get back in the director s chair because i miss it. it is a bar is to keep trying to shift people s perceptions and to make people understand the vagaries of culture and understand the damage that racism and prejudice do. for me. and also female female empowerment. we re still not out the woods on that. so i am still very keen to make sure that my films have great female roles and that i show the world from my perspective.
called i m british but. it showed the new generation of young asians in the uk. i see myself as british maybe, well, welsh, isuppose. i ve always wanted to meet gurinder chadha. her movies have made me laugh and cry. as a person, she isjust like herfilms warm, open, funny, optimistic and generous. she invited me into her london home and we spent the better part of a day delving into her films and discussing what makes her tick as a filmmaker. # move on up. hello and welcome to talking movies, i m tom brook. today i m in london, in soho still to some extent the heart of the uk film and tv industry, to bring you an interview with british asian filmmaker gurinder chadha. too often in the past, her accomplishments have been unsung, but she s been a major force in modern british cinema. in fact, she s the most prolific female filmmaker in the uk today.
father made, of accepting life and accepting situations. it is wrong for me to put that fear on you and you have to go out and make your own life and follow your own opportunities. and that is hugely emotional because that is about healing racism. and that is about healing prejudice. because i have seen her playing, she is brilliant. you cannot stop your life if you live in an unfair world. you have to keep pushing forward. i don t think anyone has the right to stop her. you push forward not only for yourself but for everyone else. and that is why bend it like beckham is such an important film because it takes me and my community and my world and my britishness and my asian nurse and and my world and my britishness
this year marks the 20th anniversary of bend it like beckham, her most successful film. it became a real international hit, and it has the distinction of being the only western made film ever to be shown on north korean television. i m joining a girls team. huh? bend it like beckham is the story ofjess, an 18 year old played by parminder nagra, from a traditional punjabi family. aloo gobi. ..who wants to play football, much to the dismay of her parents. that s it! no more football. i want you to learn full punjabi dinner. meat and vegetarian. but dad! jules, portrayed by keira knightley. hi! ..plays for a local women s amateur football team and takes note ofjess s talent and befriends her. should come along and have a trial. trial? you think i m good enough? as this upbeat comedy progresses, it deals with a host of issues. indian girls aren t supposed to play football.