Bend it Like Beckham - wikipedia Bend it Like Beckham For the 2015 West End musical, see Bend It Like Beckham ( musical ). Bend It Like Beckham British theatrical release poster Directed by Gurinder Chadha Produced by Gurinder Chadha Deepak Nayare Written by Paul Mayeda Berges Guljit Bindra Gurinder Chadha Story by Gurinder Chadha Starring Parminder Nagra Keira Knightley Jonathan Rhys Meyers Anupam Kher Archie Panjabi Shaznay Lewis Frank Harper Juliet Stevenson Music by Craig Pruess Cinematography Jong Lin Edited by Justin Krish Production companies Bend It Films British Screen British Sky Broadcasting The Film Council FilmFörderung Hamburg Future Film Financing Helkon SK Kintop Pictures Road Movies Filmproduktion GmbH Roc Media The Works International Distributed by Redbus Film Distribution Release date 12 April 2002 ( 2002 - 04 - 12 ) Running time 112 minutes Country United Kingdom Germany Language English Budget $ 6 million ( £ 3.7 million ) Box office $76.6 million Bend It Like Beckham is a 2002 British - German romantic comedy - drama sports film produced, written, and directed by Gurinder Chadha, and starring Parminder Nagra, Keira Knightley, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Anupam Kher, Shaznay Lewis, and Archie Panjabi. The film 's title refers to the football player David Beckham, and his skill at scoring from free kicks by curling the ball past a wall of defenders. It follows the 18 - year - old daughter of Punjabi Sikhs in London. She is infatuated with football but her parents have forbidden her to play because she is a girl. She joins a local women 's team, which makes its way to the top of the league. Bend It Like Beckham was released theatrically on 12 April 2002 by Redbus Film Distribution, and on DVD and VHS on 18 November 2002 by Warner Home Video. The film surprised critics and was met with mostly positive reviews and it earned over $76 million on a $6 million budget. A stage musical version opened at London 's Phoenix Theatre on 24 June 2015. Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Production 3.1 Filming 3.2 Casting 4 Release 4.1 Theatrical 4.2 Home media 5 Reception 5.1 Critical response 5.2 Box office 5.3 Accolades 5.3. 1 Wins 5.3. 2 Nominations 6 Soundtrack 6.1 Release ( United Kingdom ) 6.2 Release ( United States ) 7 North Korean broadcast 8 Stage musical 9 References 10 External links Plot Jesminder `` Jess '' Bhamra ( Parminder Nagra ) is the 18 - year - old daughter of Punjabi Sikhs living in Hounslow, London. Juliette `` Jules '' Paxton ( Keira Knightley ) is the same age and the daughter of a native English family. Jess is infatuated with football, but because she 's a woman, her family wo n't let her play. However, she sometimes plays in the park with boys including her best friend, Tony ( Ameet Chana ), a closeted gay man. Whilst on a jog through the park, Jules discovers Jess 's skills, befriends her, and invites her to try out for the local women 's football team, the Hounslow Harriers coached by Joe ( Jonathan Rhys Meyers ). Jess is extremely happy and excited about the tryouts, even though Joe is skeptical about a new player joining the team. After seeing Jess 's skills, Joe accepts her on the team and Jess lies to Joe about her parents being cool with the idea. Her parents eventually discover that Jess has been playing football behind their backs. Jess 's parents ( Anupam Kher and Shaheen Khan ) become more strict and forbid Jess from playing any more matches. The elder Bhamras are also distracted by their elaborate wedding plans for Jess 's older sister, Pinky ( Archie Panjabi ). Thanks to Jess and Jules 's skills, the Harriers reach the finals of the league tournament. Unfortunately, the finals and Pinky 's wedding are on the same day. Joe pleads with Mr. Bhamra to allow Jess to play, but Mr. Bhamra refuses, which reveals that he does n't want Jess to suffer the same way he did when he was kicked out of the cricket club because of him being Indian. Jess develops an attraction toward Joe, and when the team plays in Hamburg, Germany and goes out clubbing, they 're caught about to kiss by Jules, who also has a crush on Joe, souring Jess and Jules 's friendship, as Jules is adamant she 'd told Jess about her crush. When Jess goes to Jules 's house to try to patch up their friendship, Jules 's mother ( Juliet Stevenson ) is misled and thinks they 're hiding a lesbian relationship. Joe accepts that Jess is n't allowed to play, and the final begins without her. But halfway through Pinky 's wedding, Tony convinces Mr. Bhamra to let Jess go. He agrees, and Tony drives Jess to the game, where the Harriers are losing 1 -- 0 with half an hour left. Jess and Jules tie the score, and when Jess is awarded a free kick, she must bend the ball around the wall of players to score. She succeeds and the Harriers win the tournament. Jess and Jules are offered scholarships at Santa Clara University in California, which Jules tells her parents immediately, whereas Jess has trouble telling hers. Jules and her mother arrive at the wedding so that Jules can celebrate with Jess. When Mrs. Paxton accuses Jess of being a hypocrite and a lesbian, Jules grabs her mother and runs off in shame. Jess still has n't told her parents about the scholarship. Tony decides to lie to the family and tells them he 's engaged to Jess as long as she gets to go to any college she wants. Jess reveals the lie and her mother blames Jess 's father for allowing her to play. Jess 's father convinces her mother to accept Jess 's wishes after telling her he does n't want Jess suffering as he did. Jess flees 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 America to play, she does n't think they would be able to handle another cultural rebellion from her. On the day of Jess and Jules 's flight, Jules 's mother gives her daughter a football jersey and wishes her good luck. The two are about to board the plane when Joe arrives and confesses his love for Jess. The two kiss 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 sign. Jess and Jules send their parents a team photograph, and it is revealed that Pinky is pregnant. Mr. Bhamra practices cricket with Joe 's help. Cast Parminder Nagra as Jesminder Kaur `` Jess '' Bhamra Keira Knightley as Juliette `` Jules '' Paxton Archie Panjabi as `` Pinky '' Kaur Bhamra Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Joe Shaznay Lewis as Marlena `` Mel '' Goines Anupam Kher as Mohaan Singh Bhamra Shaheen Khan as Mrs. `` Sukhi '' Kaur Bhamra Frank Harper as Alan Paxton Juliet Stevenson as Paula Paxton Ameet Chana as Tony Kulvinder Ghir as Teetu Pooja Shah as Meena Preeya Kalidas as Monica Trey Farley as Taz Saraj Chaudhry as Sonny Paven Virk as Bubbly Nithin Sathya ( uncredited ) as Waiter Emma Daly as team player Nina Wadia as Wedding Caterer Ace Bhatti as Nairobi Grandson David Beckham as himself Gary Lineker as himself Alan Hansen as himself John Barnes as himself Production Gurinder Chadha co-wrote the script with Guljit Bindra, and screenwriting partner Paul Mayeda Berges. Nayar and Chadha actively pursed 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. 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. Filming Principal photography began on 18 June 2001. A variety of locations around London and Shepperton Studios were used for the nine - week shoot, with the semi final taking place over a three - day period in Hamburg, Germany. Casting The film was situated in Hounslow in West London. Chadha, who played an active role in casting, chose Parminder Nagra and Keira Knightley, who would play the two lead roles in the film, while Archie Panjabi and Jonathan Rhys Meyers were in early talks to join the cast. Shaznay Lewis and Anupam Kher were also in final talks to join the film. Juliet Stevenson and Frank Harper joined the cast of the film, playing Paula Paxton and Alan Paxton, mother and father of Jules. For the role of Jess ' mother, Mrs. Bhamra, Chadha turned to Shaheen Khan, whom she had previously cast in Bhaji on the Beach. Anupam Kher, a Bollywood actor, was cast as Mr. Bhamra, Jess ' father. Chadha worked with The Football Association and ended up casting actual players from a variety of school teams. Release Theatrical 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. Home media The film was released on DVD and VHS on 18 November 2002 by Warner Home Video. Among the DVD bonus features, there are several scenes that did not make the final release. Some of these scenes include dialogue from Pinky 's friends as well as Jules, her mother meeting Kevin and his friends outside a shop, which would have been helpful because Kevin is mentioned three times but is never seen. Reception Critical response Jonathan Rhys Meyers was praised by critics for his performance. The film surprised critics and was met with mostly positive reviews. 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. '' 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 has n't quite changed yet. The stiff upper lip has travelled 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. '' Planet Bollywood gave the film a 9 out of 10 and stated that the `` screenplay not only explores the development of Jesse as a person, but also the changing values and culture of NRI teens : Jesse 's urge to break the social norm of the Indian homemaker, her sister 's ( Archie Punjabi ) sexually - active relationship, and the gay Indian ( Tony, played by Ameet Chana ). '' 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. '' 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. '' Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives Bend It like Beckham a rating of 85 %, based upon 147 reviews ( 125 fresh and 22 rotten ). The British film was distributed by iDream Productions in India, and went on to set the record in India for most number of tickets sold during a single weekend for a foreign movie. Box office Bend It Like Beckham also became the highest grossing Indian themed film ever in the United States, with $32 million in box office revenue. Accolades Wins 2004 Pyongyang Film Festival : Music Prize 2002 British Comedy Awards : Best comedy film 2003 ESPY Awards : Best Sports Movie ESPY Award 2004 GLAAD Media Awards : Outstanding Film -- Wide Release Nominations 2006 Billie Award -- Entertainment ( Best film ) 2004 Writers Guild of America Award -- Best Screenplay 2003 British Academy of Film and Television Arts -- Best film 2003 Golden Globe for Best Film -- Musical or Comedy 2002 Locarno International Film Festival : Audience Award -- Gurinder Chadha 2002 London Film Critics Circle Awards : British Best Newcomer -- Keira Knightley 2002 International Film Festival of Marrakech : Special Jury Award -- Gurinder Chadha 2003 National Board of Review of Motion Pictures : Special Recognition 2002 Sydney Film Festival : PRIX UIP -- Gurinder Chadha 2003 The Comedy Festival : Film Discovery Jury Award -- Gurinder Ch Soundtrack Music from the Motion Picture Bend It Like Beckham Soundtrack album by Various artists Released 2002 Recorded 2000 - 2002 Genre Bhangra Pop Label Milan Entertainment ( US ) Cube Records ( UK ) Producer Various artists The release of the soundtrack in the United Kingdom features bhangra music, 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 USA release rearranges the tracks and excludes some material. `` Dream the Dream '' appears in the movie but did not make the final cut on the soundtrack. Release ( United Kingdom ) Craig Pruess & Bally Sagoo Feat. Gunjan -- `` Titles '' Blondie -- `` Atomic '' Backyard Dog -- `` Baddest Ruffest '' B21 -- `` Darshan '' ( Movie Dialogue ) -- `` It 's Beckham 's Corner '' Victoria Beckham -- `` I Wish '' ( Movie Dialogue ) -- `` Learn To Cook Dahl '' Malkit Singh -- `` Jind Mahi '' Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan -- `` Tere Bin Nahin Lagda '' Bally Sagoo Feat Gunjan -- `` Noorie '' ( Movie Dialogue ) -- `` Juicy Juicy Mangoes '' Basement Jaxx -- `` Do Your Thing '' ( Movie Dialogue ) -- `` Eyes Down '' Texas -- `` Inner Smile '' Melanie C -- `` Independence Day '' ( Movie Dialogue ) -- `` Ca n't Make Round Chapattis '' Hans Raj Hans -- `` Punjabiyan Di Shaan '' Gunjan -- `` Kinna Sohna '' Tito Beltrán -- `` Nessun Dorma '' ( Movie Dialogue ) -- `` The Offside Rule Is '' Bina Mistry -- `` Hot Hot Hot '' Craig Pruess & Bally Sagoo Feat. Gunjan -- `` Hai Raba ! '' Curtis Mayfield -- `` Move on Up '' Release ( United States ) Craig Pruess & Bally Sagoo Feat. Gunjan -- `` Titles '' ( Movie Dialogue ) -- `` It 's Beckham 's Corner '' Texas -- `` Inner Smile '' Malkit Singh -- `` Jind Mahi '' Bally Sagoo Feat Gunjan -- `` Noorie '' ( Movie Dialogue ) -- `` Learn To Cook Dahl '' Victoria Beckham -- `` I Wish '' ( Movie Dialogue ) -- `` Juicy Juicy Mangoes '' Gunjan -- `` Kinna Sohna '' Partners in Rhyme ( featuring Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan ) -- `` Tere Bin Nahin Lagda '' ( Movie Dialogue ) -- `` Ca n't Make Round Chapattis '' Melanie C -- `` Independence Day '' B21 -- `` Darshan '' ( Movie Dialogue ) -- `` Eyes Down '' Bina Mistry -- `` Hot Hot Hot '' Blondie -- `` Atomic '' Craig Pruess & Bally Sagoo Feat. Gunjan -- `` Hai Raba ! '' Tito Beltrán -- `` Nessun Dorma '' North Korean broadcast To mark the tenth anniversary of North Korea 's relations with the United Kingdom, an edited version of Bend It Like Beckham was broadcast on North Korean state television on 26 December 2010, Boxing Day. The British Ambassador to South Korea, Martin Uden, said it was the `` first ever Western made film to air on television '' in North Korea. Stage musical Main article : Bend It Like Beckham the Musical A stage musical version of the film opened at London 's Phoenix Theatre in June 2015. References Jump up ^ `` Bend It Like Beckham ( 12 ) ''. British Board of Film Classification. 11 March 2002. Retrieved 23 September 2016. Jump up ^ Bend It Like Beckham at Box Office Mojo ^ Jump up to : `` Bend It Like Beckham the Musical ''. ^ Jump up to : `` Bend It Like Beckham : Production Notes ''. Cinema.com. Jump up ^ `` Weekend box office 12th April 2002 - 14th April 2002 ''. www.25thframe.co.uk. Retrieved 25 April 2017. Jump up ^ `` Weekend box office 19th April 2002 - 21st April 2002 ''. www.25thframe.co.uk. Retrieved 25 April 2017. Jump up ^ Turan, Kenneth ( 12 March 2003 ). `` Bend it Like Beckham : Movie Review ''. Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 24 November 2007. Retrieved 28 March 2016. Jump up ^ `` Review : Bend it like Beckham is like curry ''. Archived from the original on 2 March 2009. Retrieved 25 April 2008. CS1 maint : BOT : original - url status unknown ( link ). Times of India review. 10 July 2002 Jump up ^ Bend It Like Beckham Archived 2 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine... Planet Bollywood review. ( 27 June 2003 ). Retrieved on 3 November 2011. Jump up ^ Bend It Like Beckham. The Hindu. 19 July 2002 Jump up ^ Jamie Russell Bend it Like Beckham ( 2002 ). Bbc.co.uk ( 11 April 2002 ). Retrieved on 3 November 2011. Jump up ^ `` Bend It Like Beckham ''. Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved 5 October 2010. Jump up ^ SSKI 's Shripal Morakhia divests 50 % stake in iDream to management team. Indiantelevision. 23 April 2014. Jump up ^ Dropping Lesbian Romance from Beckham the Right Decision Archived 15 April 2011 at the Wayback Machine... AfterEllen.com. Retrieved on 3 November 2011. Jump up ^ `` ESPN : The Worldwide Leader in Sports - ESPN ''. ESPN.com. Retrieved 9 October 2017. Jump up ^ `` North Korea bends it like Beckham in UK film first ''. BBC. 30 December 2010. Retrieved 30 December 2010. External links Bend It Like Beckham on IMDb Bend It Like Beckham at AllMovie Bend It Like Beckham at Box Office Mojo Bend It Like Beckham at Rotten Tomatoes Bend It Like Beckham at Metacritic Women 's association football Overview Geography FIFA Women 's World Player of the Year FIFA Team Rankings National teams Club / Association teams Player lists Competitions Women 's World Cup Olympics Algarve Cup Cyprus Cup Four Nations Tournament U-20 World Cup U-17 World Cup More... Cinema Bend It Like Beckham ( 2002 ) Dare to Dream ( 2005 ) Offside ( 2006 ) Gracie ( 2007 ) Her Best Move ( 2007 ) Football Under Cover ( 2008 ) SEC Storied ( 2013 ) An Equal Playing Field ( 2015 ) Stage Bend It Like Beckham the Musical ( 2015 ) Television series Just for Kicks ( 2002 ) Nine for IX ( 2013 ) The Kicks ( 2015 ) Video games Mia Hamm Soccer 64 ( 2000 ) FIFA 16 ( 2015 ) FIFA 17 ( 2016 ) FIFA 18 ( 2017 ) Portal WikiProject Films directed by Gurinder Chadha Bhaji on the Beach ( 1993 ) What 's Cooking ? ( 2000 ) Bend It Like Beckham ( 2002 ) Bride and Prejudice ( 2004 ) Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging ( 2008 ) It 's a Wonderful Afterlife ( 2010 ) Viceroy 's House ( 2017 ) GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Film -- Wide Release Longtime Companion / The Handmaid 's Tale ( 1991 ) Fried Green Tomatoes / Frankie and Johnny ( 1992 ) Philadelphia ( 1994 ) Go Fish / The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert ( 1995 ) Boys on the Side ( 1996 ) Bound ( 1997 ) In & Out ( 1998 ) Gods and Monsters ( 1999 ) Being John Malkovich ( 2000 ) Billy Elliot ( 2001 ) The Mexican ( 2002 ) The Hours ( 2003 ) Bend It Like Beckham ( 2004 ) Kinsey ( 2005 ) Brokeback Mountain ( 2006 ) Little Miss Sunshine ( 2007 ) Stardust ( 2008 ) Milk ( 2009 ) A Single Man ( 2010 ) The Kids Are All Right ( 2011 ) Beginners ( 2012 ) The Perks of Being a Wallflower ( 2013 ) Philomena ( 2014 ) The Imitation Game ( 2015 ) Carol ( 2016 ) Moonlight ( 2017 ) Film portal United Kingdom portal India portal 2000s portal Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bend_It_Like_Beckham&oldid=815838439 '' Categories : 2002 films 2000s comedy - drama films 2000s coming - of - age films 2000s independent films 2000s romantic comedy films 2002 in women 's association football American comedy - drama films American coming - of - age films American films American independent films American romantic comedy films American sports comedy films American teen comedy films American teen drama films Association football films British comedy - drama films British coming - of - age films British films British independent films British Indian films British LGBT - related films British romantic comedy films British sports comedy films British teen comedy films British teen drama films Coming - of - age comedy films Coming - of - age drama films Coming - of - age romance films David Beckham English - language films Female buddy films Films about immigration Films about Indian weddings Films about women in the Indian diaspora Films about women 's sports Films directed by Gurinder Chadha Films set in London Films shot in London German films German independent films German romantic comedy films Indian independent films LGBT - related comedy - drama films Santa Clara Broncos women 's soccer Screenplays by Gurinder Chadha Screenplays by Paul Mayeda Berges Women 's association football films Hidden categories : CS1 maint : BOT : original - url status unknown Webarchive template wayback links EngvarB from September 2013 Use dmy dates from September 2016 Film articles using image size parameter Articles with hAudio microformats Album infoboxes lacking a cover Music infoboxes with deprecated parameters Use dmy dates from September 2013 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Wikiquote Català Čeština Cymraeg Deutsch Español Euskara فارسی Français Galego 한국어 Հայերեն हिन्दी Italiano עברית Magyar Bahasa Melayu Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk ਪੰਜਾਬੀ Polski Português Русский Slovenščina Suomi Svenska తెలుగు Türkçe 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 17 December 2017, at 14 : 26. 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Question: who directed the film bend it like beckham
Answer: Gurinder Chadha