Production has wrapped on the wartime coming-of-age feature film “The Collaborator,” based on the international bestseller by Kashmiri novelist Mirza Waheed.
The story is set in the 1990s on the Indian side of the Line of Control that separates Indian Kashmir from Pakistani Kashmir. The 17-year old protagonist known only as the “Boy” is forced by an Indian army captain to go into the valley that separates the two countries to count the army’s kills by collecting IDs off the dead. Most of these are teenage boys who have disappeared from his small village, and any one could be among his missing friends.
The novel was named as one of the 2011 books of the year in The Telegraph U.K., New Statesman, Business Standard and Telegraph India. It was also a 2011 Guardian first book award finalist.
The U.K.’s Rudi Dharmalingam stars in the role of Captain Kadian alongside newcomer Nikhil Singh Rai,...
The story is set in the 1990s on the Indian side of the Line of Control that separates Indian Kashmir from Pakistani Kashmir. The 17-year old protagonist known only as the “Boy” is forced by an Indian army captain to go into the valley that separates the two countries to count the army’s kills by collecting IDs off the dead. Most of these are teenage boys who have disappeared from his small village, and any one could be among his missing friends.
The novel was named as one of the 2011 books of the year in The Telegraph U.K., New Statesman, Business Standard and Telegraph India. It was also a 2011 Guardian first book award finalist.
The U.K.’s Rudi Dharmalingam stars in the role of Captain Kadian alongside newcomer Nikhil Singh Rai,...
- 12/14/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Stars: Viveik Kalra, Kulvinder Ghir, Meera Ganatra, Aaron Phagura, Dean-Charles Chapman, Nikita Mehta, Nell Williams, Tara Divina, Rob Brydon, Frankie Fox, Hayley Atwell, Sally Phillips | Written by Paul Mayeda Berges, Gurinder Chadha, Sarfraz Manzoor | Directed by Gurinder Chadha
Blinded by the Light is directed by famed Indian/British director Gurinder Chadha – a sizeable and much-needed voice in British Cinema who has been a devotee of crafting and spreading stories of minorities since the early days of her work with the BFI in the 1990s. Bend It like Beckham brought her worldwide attention and critical acclaim; however, Chadha has been on the quiet end of her cinematic entities ever since. Crafting more Indian led stories to great success. She dived back into coming of age circuit with the cult hit Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging, her first and only predominately white cast, but it would take another decade until Viceroys House...
Blinded by the Light is directed by famed Indian/British director Gurinder Chadha – a sizeable and much-needed voice in British Cinema who has been a devotee of crafting and spreading stories of minorities since the early days of her work with the BFI in the 1990s. Bend It like Beckham brought her worldwide attention and critical acclaim; however, Chadha has been on the quiet end of her cinematic entities ever since. Crafting more Indian led stories to great success. She dived back into coming of age circuit with the cult hit Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging, her first and only predominately white cast, but it would take another decade until Viceroys House...
- 12/11/2019
- by Jak-Luke Sharp
- Nerdly
To mark the release of Blinded by the Light on 9th December, we’ve been given 2 copies to give away on Blu-ray.
Based on Manzoor’s memoir ‘Greetings from Bury Park: Race, Religion and Rock N’ Roll,’ Blinded by the Light follows the inspirational story of 16-year-old British Pakistani boy, Javed (Viveik Kalra) growing up in the boring, industrial city of Luton in 1987. Javed wants what all teenagers want: a girlfriend, the freedom to go to parties, but most of all, he wants to be a writer. Unfortunately, his family has other ideas of how Pakistani boys should behave. A chance run-in with a boy at his new school leaves Javed with a Bruce Springsteen cassette tape. When he first hears Springsteen’s music, everything in his life changes. The lyrics encourage him to find his own writing voice, talk to the girl he’s always fancied and challenge his...
Based on Manzoor’s memoir ‘Greetings from Bury Park: Race, Religion and Rock N’ Roll,’ Blinded by the Light follows the inspirational story of 16-year-old British Pakistani boy, Javed (Viveik Kalra) growing up in the boring, industrial city of Luton in 1987. Javed wants what all teenagers want: a girlfriend, the freedom to go to parties, but most of all, he wants to be a writer. Unfortunately, his family has other ideas of how Pakistani boys should behave. A chance run-in with a boy at his new school leaves Javed with a Bruce Springsteen cassette tape. When he first hears Springsteen’s music, everything in his life changes. The lyrics encourage him to find his own writing voice, talk to the girl he’s always fancied and challenge his...
- 12/9/2019
- by Competitions
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Stars: Viveik Kalra, Kulvinder Ghir, Meera Ganatra, Aaron Phagura, Dean-Charles Chapman, Nikita Mehta, Nell Williams, Tara Divina, Rob Brydon, Frankie Fox, Hayley Atwell, Sally Phillips | Written by Paul Mayeda Berges, Gurinder Chadha, Sarfraz Manzoor | Directed by Gurinder Chadha
Blinded by the Light is directed by famed Indian/British director Gurinder Chadha – a sizeable and much-needed voice in British Cinema who has been a devotee of crafting and spreading stories of minorities since the early days of her work with the BFI in the 1990s. Bend It like Beckham brought her worldwide attention and critical acclaim; however, Chadha has been on the quiet end of her cinematic entities ever since. Crafting more Indian led stories to great success. She dived back into coming of age circuit with the cult hit Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging, her first and only predominately white cast, but it would take another decade until Viceroys House...
Blinded by the Light is directed by famed Indian/British director Gurinder Chadha – a sizeable and much-needed voice in British Cinema who has been a devotee of crafting and spreading stories of minorities since the early days of her work with the BFI in the 1990s. Bend It like Beckham brought her worldwide attention and critical acclaim; however, Chadha has been on the quiet end of her cinematic entities ever since. Crafting more Indian led stories to great success. She dived back into coming of age circuit with the cult hit Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging, her first and only predominately white cast, but it would take another decade until Viceroys House...
- 8/30/2019
- by Jak-Luke Sharp
- Nerdly
Blinded By the Light is a British coming of age film directed by Gurinder Chadha, who is also the director of Bend It Like Beckham, and she shines light on a Pakistani teenager, Javed played by Viveik Kalra, who is just beginning to discover his own taste in music and overall identity. Javed comes from a traditional Pakistan family with parents Malik and Noor, played by Kulvinder Ghir and Meera Ganatra, who are fully focused on Javed's academic career and living by their own culture in order to preserve their identity. Javed strives to be a writer, but his family has more financially aimed goals for him. He becomes torn between maintaining his Pakistan identity for the sake of satisfying his family and figuring out his own identity in the Western world with the help of his friend Matt played by Dean-Charles Chapman, love interest Eliza played by Nell Williams,...
- 8/29/2019
- by Juliet Poucher
- Hollywood Insider - Substance & Meaningful Entertainment
Full disclosure: I’m a massive Bruce Springsteen fan. Despite hailing from New York, not New Jersey, and being born in 1987, when Springsteen was already huge and, at the time, seen as a relic of rock and roll’s past, The Boss speaks to me. His music, his words, they’re something more than just songs. I say that because it really does feel like the new movie Blinded by the Light was made for me. However, that’s only part of why I love it so much. Perfectly attuned to Springsteen, it’s also a massively entertaining coming of age tale and a real crowd pleasing endeavor. Simply put, it’s the best thing I’ve seen all year and I’d be surprised if it didn’t top 2019’s cinematic offerings in my eyes. The film is a music centric coming of age story. Set in 1987 during the...
- 8/12/2019
- by Joey Magidson
- Hollywoodnews.com
Bend It Like Beckham director Gurinder Chadha cooks up this efficiently watchable drama about a rock fan’s yearning to become a writer
Here is a good-natured and likable movie – though machine-tooled to an internationally accepted feelgood standard – by Gurinder Chadha, who directed Bend It Like Beckham. Well, this is Sing It Like Springsteen. Or Live it Like Springsteen. It is adapted from Greetings from Bury Park, journalist Sarfraz Manzoor’s memoir about growing up in an unromantic suburb of Luton in Bedfordshire during the Thatcherite 80s, dealing with loneliness, racism, unemployment and the first pangs of love – and finding that rock music is his salvation.
Viveik Kalra is Javed, a young man who yearns to be a writer, to the consternation of his first-generation Pakistani-born dad, Malik, and anxious mum, Noor (there are lovely performances by Kulvinder Ghir and Meera Ganatra). Javed is drifting morosely through life, but when...
Here is a good-natured and likable movie – though machine-tooled to an internationally accepted feelgood standard – by Gurinder Chadha, who directed Bend It Like Beckham. Well, this is Sing It Like Springsteen. Or Live it Like Springsteen. It is adapted from Greetings from Bury Park, journalist Sarfraz Manzoor’s memoir about growing up in an unromantic suburb of Luton in Bedfordshire during the Thatcherite 80s, dealing with loneliness, racism, unemployment and the first pangs of love – and finding that rock music is his salvation.
Viveik Kalra is Javed, a young man who yearns to be a writer, to the consternation of his first-generation Pakistani-born dad, Malik, and anxious mum, Noor (there are lovely performances by Kulvinder Ghir and Meera Ganatra). Javed is drifting morosely through life, but when...
- 8/8/2019
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
England, 1987. The UK has its first female Prime Minister at the helm in Margaret Thatcher who is battling economic troubles and the rise of the neo-Nazi National Front. In the borough of Luton, the Khan family is trying to get by and make ends meet amid the chaos. The patriarch (Kulvinder Ghir) has lost his job, the matriarch (Meera Ganatra) is forced to make ends meet by working late into the night for what might as well be nothing, and main lead Javed Khan (Viveik Kalra), wants to become a writer despite the expectations of his parents.
When Roops (Aaron Phagura), the only Sikh boy at school, introduces Khan to the music of Bruce Springsteen Khan is inspired. Javed finds his voice giving him the courage to follow his dreams, find love, and assert himself against family traditions that he believes are getting in the way of his dreams. But Javed learns soon enough,...
When Roops (Aaron Phagura), the only Sikh boy at school, introduces Khan to the music of Bruce Springsteen Khan is inspired. Javed finds his voice giving him the courage to follow his dreams, find love, and assert himself against family traditions that he believes are getting in the way of his dreams. But Javed learns soon enough,...
- 8/1/2019
- by Rima Bhatia
- Bollyspice
London, England – July 29: Sarfraz Manzoor, Nell Williams, Viveik Kalra, Gurinder Chadha, Aaron Phagura, Meera Ganatra, Kulvinder Ghir and Jane Barclay attend the UK Gala Screening of Blinded By The Light at The Curzon Mayfair on July 29, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Dave J Hogan/Dave Hogan/Getty Images for Eone)
Blinded By The Light, directed by Gurinder Chadha, celebrated its UK Gala Screening on Monday 29th July, at the Curzon Mayfair in London. Starring Viveik Kalra, Hayley Atwell, Rob Brydon, Kulvinder Ghir, Nell Williams, Dean-Charles Chapman and Aaron Phagura Blinded By The Light opens nationwide on August 9th
Blinded By The Light is a joyous, coming of age story about a teenager who learns to live life, understand his family and find his own voice through the words and music of Bruce Springsteen.
Javed is a 16-year-old British Pakistani boy growing up in the boring, industrial city
of Luton.
Blinded By The Light, directed by Gurinder Chadha, celebrated its UK Gala Screening on Monday 29th July, at the Curzon Mayfair in London. Starring Viveik Kalra, Hayley Atwell, Rob Brydon, Kulvinder Ghir, Nell Williams, Dean-Charles Chapman and Aaron Phagura Blinded By The Light opens nationwide on August 9th
Blinded By The Light is a joyous, coming of age story about a teenager who learns to live life, understand his family and find his own voice through the words and music of Bruce Springsteen.
Javed is a 16-year-old British Pakistani boy growing up in the boring, industrial city
of Luton.
- 7/30/2019
- by Stacey Yount
- Bollyspice
With the success of movie musicals such as the Freddie Mercury/Queen hit Bohemian Rhapsody and Elton John’s Rocketman the turn has come for The Boss – Bruce Springsteen and Gurinder Chadha’s Blinded by the Light. The film stars Viveik Kalra, Kulvinder Ghir, Meera Ganatra, Nell Williams, Aaron Phagura, Rob Brydon, Hayley Atwell and Game of Thrones’ Dean-Charles Chapman.
The cast and director were joined by writer Sarfraz Manzoor at the Curzon Mayfair this evening for the a UK Gala Screening of the film, and we were on hand to talk them all about the music and the movie.
Colin Hart and Scott Davis were on the red carpet and conducted these interviews. Blinded by the Light will be released in cinemas from August 9th.
Blinded by the Light Premiere Interviews
Plot:
Set in 1987, during the austere days of Thatcher’s Britain, Blinded By The Light is a joyous,...
The cast and director were joined by writer Sarfraz Manzoor at the Curzon Mayfair this evening for the a UK Gala Screening of the film, and we were on hand to talk them all about the music and the movie.
Colin Hart and Scott Davis were on the red carpet and conducted these interviews. Blinded by the Light will be released in cinemas from August 9th.
Blinded by the Light Premiere Interviews
Plot:
Set in 1987, during the austere days of Thatcher’s Britain, Blinded By The Light is a joyous,...
- 7/30/2019
- by Jon Lyus
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
"When I'm dancing I block out the world." "I know what you mean..." Entertainment One UK has debuted a new UK trailer for Gurinder Chadha's Blinded by the Light, the joyous musical comedy about a teen from England who loves Springsteen. This premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year to universal acclaim, and it's going to be a big hit when it opens later this summer. Inspired by a true story, based on Sarfraz Manzoor's memoir, the film is about a Pakistani boy named Javed who finds his own voice and his identity after being introduced to Bruce Springsteen growing up in the 1980s in the UK. This stars Viveik Kalra as Javed, including Kulvinder Ghir, Meera Ganatra, Nell Williams, Aaron Phagura, Hayley Atwell, and Dean-Charles Chapman. It was one of my favorite films from Sundance this year and one of my quotes (from this review...
- 5/19/2019
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
We have the brand-new poster and trailer for Gurinder Chadha’s new film Blinded By The Light.
Set in 1987, during the austere days of Thatcher’s Britain, Blinded By The Light is a joyous, coming-of-age story about a teenager who learns to live life, understand his family and find his own voice through the words and music of Bruce Springsteen. Blinded by the Light is inspired by British journalist Sarfraz Manzoor’s memoir “Greetings From Bury Park.”
The film stars Viveik Kalra, Kulvinder Ghir (Bend it Like Beckham), Meera Ganatra (PREMature), Nell Williams (Game of Thrones), Aaron Phagura (Doctor Who), Dean Charles-Chapman, Hayley Atwell (Avengers: Endgame) and Rob Brydon (Swimming with Men).
Check out the fabulous trailer
The film opens in UK and Irish cinemas on August 9th and the rest of the world on the 14th.
Gurinder Chadha is also going to be at the London Indian Film Festival...
Set in 1987, during the austere days of Thatcher’s Britain, Blinded By The Light is a joyous, coming-of-age story about a teenager who learns to live life, understand his family and find his own voice through the words and music of Bruce Springsteen. Blinded by the Light is inspired by British journalist Sarfraz Manzoor’s memoir “Greetings From Bury Park.”
The film stars Viveik Kalra, Kulvinder Ghir (Bend it Like Beckham), Meera Ganatra (PREMature), Nell Williams (Game of Thrones), Aaron Phagura (Doctor Who), Dean Charles-Chapman, Hayley Atwell (Avengers: Endgame) and Rob Brydon (Swimming with Men).
Check out the fabulous trailer
The film opens in UK and Irish cinemas on August 9th and the rest of the world on the 14th.
Gurinder Chadha is also going to be at the London Indian Film Festival...
- 5/16/2019
- by Stacey Yount
- Bollyspice
‘Bend It Like Beckham’ director Gurinder Chadha is back with an all-new British film set to the music of The Boss, Bruce Springsteen, and a feel-good UK trailer has now been released.
Chadha has based the film on Sarfraz Manzoor’s acclaimed memoir ‘Greetings from Bury Park’ about a Pakistani teen growing up during the late ’80s who finds his voice from the lyrics of Bruce Springsteen songs.
The film stars Viveik Kalra, Kulvinder Ghir, Meera Ganatra, Nell Williams, Aaron Phagura, Hayley Atwell and Dean-Charles Chapman.
Also in trailers – Red Band trailer for Jim Jarmusch’s ‘The Dead Don’t Die’ has arisen
The film is released in the UK August 9th.
Blinded By The Light Synopsis
Set in 1987, during the austere days of Thatcher’s Britain, Blinded By The Light is a joyous, coming-of-age story about a teenager who learns to live life, understand his family and find his...
Chadha has based the film on Sarfraz Manzoor’s acclaimed memoir ‘Greetings from Bury Park’ about a Pakistani teen growing up during the late ’80s who finds his voice from the lyrics of Bruce Springsteen songs.
The film stars Viveik Kalra, Kulvinder Ghir, Meera Ganatra, Nell Williams, Aaron Phagura, Hayley Atwell and Dean-Charles Chapman.
Also in trailers – Red Band trailer for Jim Jarmusch’s ‘The Dead Don’t Die’ has arisen
The film is released in the UK August 9th.
Blinded By The Light Synopsis
Set in 1987, during the austere days of Thatcher’s Britain, Blinded By The Light is a joyous, coming-of-age story about a teenager who learns to live life, understand his family and find his...
- 5/16/2019
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
The Bentonville Film Festival (Bff) announced final additions to their programming which includes the world premiere of the Netflix film Good Sam starring Tiya Sircar. The fest, which was co-created by Geena Davis and champions inclusion in all forms of media, has also added spotlight screenings of Gurinder Chadha’s Sundance Springsteen hit Blinded By The Light from New Line Cinema as well as Stx’s animated feature UglyDolls. Now in its fifth year, the festival kicked off May 7 and continues through May 11 in Bentonville, Ark.
Based on the book by Dete Meserve, Good Sam explores what happens when a mysterious good Samaritan (aka “Good Sam”) leaves $100,000 cash on seemingly random doorsteps. TV news reporter Kate Bradley (Sircar) sets out to discover Good Sam’s true identity and motive, turning her personal life upside down. Kate Melville directs from a script by Meserve and Teena Booth. Good Sam will screen...
Based on the book by Dete Meserve, Good Sam explores what happens when a mysterious good Samaritan (aka “Good Sam”) leaves $100,000 cash on seemingly random doorsteps. TV news reporter Kate Bradley (Sircar) sets out to discover Good Sam’s true identity and motive, turning her personal life upside down. Kate Melville directs from a script by Meserve and Teena Booth. Good Sam will screen...
- 5/8/2019
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
At the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, a movie debuted called Blinded by the Light. Yes, the title is taking reference from a Bruce Springsteen song, as The Boss’ music is central to this flick. Over in Park City, it turned out to be one of the fest’s biggest crowd pleasers, getting picked up and scheduled for a summer release date. Now, we saw the Trailer drop for it yesterday, cluing everyone in to just what made it so special back in January. You can see it at the bottom of the post, with some commentary to come first, as per the usual. The film is a coming of age story, based on the actual teenage years of one of the writers. The plot synopsis, via IMDb, is as follows: “In 1987 during the austere days of Thatcher’s Britain, a teenager learns to live life, understand his family...
- 5/3/2019
- by Joey Magidson
- Hollywoodnews.com
‘Bend It Like Beckham’ director Gurinder Chadha is back with an all-new British film set to the music of The Boss, Bruce Springsteen and a feel-good trailer has now been released.
Following in the footsteps of Danny Boyle, whose next film is set to the songs of The Beatles, Chadha has based the film on Sarfraz Manzoor’s acclaimed memoir ‘Greetings from Bury Park’ about a Pakistani teen growing up during the late ’80s who finds his voice from the lyric’s of Bruce Springsteen songs.
The film stars Viveik Kalra, Kulvinder Ghir, Meera Ganatra, Nell Williams, Aaron Phagura, Hayley Atwell and Dean-Charles Chapman.
Also in trailers – A deadly storm brings monstrous predators in trailer for ‘Crawl’
Blinded By The Light Synopsis
The film focuses on Javed (Viveik Kalra), a teenager growing up during Thatcher’s reign in 1987. Amidst racial and economic turmoil, he writes poetry as a means to...
Following in the footsteps of Danny Boyle, whose next film is set to the songs of The Beatles, Chadha has based the film on Sarfraz Manzoor’s acclaimed memoir ‘Greetings from Bury Park’ about a Pakistani teen growing up during the late ’80s who finds his voice from the lyric’s of Bruce Springsteen songs.
The film stars Viveik Kalra, Kulvinder Ghir, Meera Ganatra, Nell Williams, Aaron Phagura, Hayley Atwell and Dean-Charles Chapman.
Also in trailers – A deadly storm brings monstrous predators in trailer for ‘Crawl’
Blinded By The Light Synopsis
The film focuses on Javed (Viveik Kalra), a teenager growing up during Thatcher’s reign in 1987. Amidst racial and economic turmoil, he writes poetry as a means to...
- 5/3/2019
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
"I can feel it all right here! It's like Bruce knows everything I've ever felt." Warner Bros has unveiled the first trailer for Chadha's Blinded by the Light, the triumphant, instant-classic musical comedy about a teen from England who loves Bruce Springsteen. This premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year to universal acclaim, being heralded as the next great indie musical following Sing Street. Inspired by a true story, based on Sarfraz Manzoor's acclaimed memoir, the film is about a Pakistani boy named Javed who finds his own voice and his own identity after being introduced to Bruce Springsteen growing up in the 1980s. Blinded by the Light stars Viveik Kalra as Javed, plus Kulvinder Ghir, Meera Ganatra, Nell Williams, Aaron Phagura, Hayley Atwell, and Dean-Charles Chapman. This was one of my favorite films from Sundance this year (here's my full review), it's so wonderful and will...
- 5/2/2019
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
A British kid of Pakistani descent finds salvation and inspiration in the music of Bruce Springsteen in the trailer for the upcoming film, Blinded By the Light, set to arrive August 14th.
Gurinder Chadha (Bend it Like Beckham) directed the film and Sarfraz Manzoor wrote the script, which was based on his memoir, Greetings From Bury Park: Race, Religion and Rock N’ Roll. Blinded By the Light stars Viveik Kalra as Javed, a teen who finds himself caught between his traditional family, his love of writing, his burgeoning Springsteen fandom...
Gurinder Chadha (Bend it Like Beckham) directed the film and Sarfraz Manzoor wrote the script, which was based on his memoir, Greetings From Bury Park: Race, Religion and Rock N’ Roll. Blinded By the Light stars Viveik Kalra as Javed, a teen who finds himself caught between his traditional family, his love of writing, his burgeoning Springsteen fandom...
- 5/2/2019
- by Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
Gurinder Chadha’s “Blinded by the Light,” a glorious and almost terminally pure coming-of-age story about a repressed British Pakistani teen in 1987 Luton whose mind explodes when he discovers an uncool American poet by the name of Bruce Springsteen, is a film that feels as out of time as the music tastes of its 16-year-old protagonist. It exudes the earnestness of a Bollywood musical, embraces the familiar immigrant tropes of a less diasporic world, and electrifies its paper-thin but profoundly lovable characters with an optimism that’s as rare in Thatcher’s England as it is in Trump’s America.
And Chadha isn’t the least bit sorry about that, nor about how transparently she combines the warm cross-cultural friction of her own “Bend it Like Beckham” with the exuberance of “Sing Street” before transforming them both with the bone-deep power of the Boss himself (Springsteen gave her permission to...
And Chadha isn’t the least bit sorry about that, nor about how transparently she combines the warm cross-cultural friction of her own “Bend it Like Beckham” with the exuberance of “Sing Street” before transforming them both with the bone-deep power of the Boss himself (Springsteen gave her permission to...
- 1/28/2019
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
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