Gurinder Chadha

Trivia

• Gurinder Chadha is an international filmmaker of Indian heritage.
• Gurinder started off from the BBC and later went on to make documentaries.
• Gurinder Chadha decided to enter the world of films.
• Gurinder Chadha has made some great films that South Asian-Americans could relate to.
• To her goes the credit of bringing the South Asian Diaspora films to the mainstream cinema.
• Gurinder Chadha's style of filmmaking is different from the traditional filmmakers. And not surprisingly she has achieved a lot of success at that.
• Gurinder Chadha has proved to the world that it doesn't matter in life what you do as long as you are happy.
• Gurinder Chadha has made and produced some terrific movies.
• Nice Arrangement was Gurinder's first short movie through which she portrayed a British- Asian family on the morning of their daughter's wedding.
• It was followed by Acting Our Age, Bhajji on the beach, what's cooking, Bend It Like Beckham (this film established her as filmmaker) and finally "Bride and Prejudice".

Quotes

• "I knew from an early age that people didn't see the different sides of me. I formulated a kind of bi-cultural identity quite early and I was always very comfortable with it, but I knew people didn't quite see that."
• "Writing film scripts is the hardest thing in the world. A script has to go to five or six drafts and you need the feedback of other people, and to keep coming back with a fresh eye, honing it down."
• “We were delighted to find out that here was someone in the US who was exploring the same themes as us, in terms of diaspora, culture, cultural negotiations and identity.”
• “I've got to deliver something to them that's contemporary but at the same time doesn't trample on their nostalgic dreams.”
• “In many ways, Beckham is the perfect catch for an Indian mother. He loves his wife, he has a son, he is also a good father and he's changed the meaning of what we used to consider the traditional macho footballer.”
• “It was wonderful!”
• “[Rai made her English-language debut and gained international media attention with the February release of] Bride & Prejudice, ... Bend It Like Beckham.”
• “I went to my local pub to watch the games and was amazed to see grown men crying when England were out of the cup. I'd only ever seen the country like this when Lady Diana died. I had got the football bug and thought wouldn't it be great to take all this energy, and put two girls in the middle of it all?”
• “We thought we'd need a few extra police because of the crowds that wanted to see her.”
• “I made the film [Bend It Like Beckham] as a tribute to my Dad.”

Biography

Gurinder Chadha

Last Updated: Monday, September 28, 2009

Gurinder Chadha was born in Kenya and shifted to Britain with her parents in 1961. She was brought up at Southall, London and studied at the University of East Anglia. Gurinder Chadha began her career as a news reporter with the BBC Radio, directed several award winning documentaries for the BBC, and began a fruitful alliance with the BFI and Channel Four who produced the 30-minute documentary, I'm English But... (1989). The film focused on young English Asians who, unlike their parents, listen to Acid Bhangra, a mix of Punjabi bhangra and rap.