Blinded By The Light has the energy of Bruce Springsteen music inspiring a teen to fulfill his dreams and gives hope for your own dreams! The film is directed and co-written by Gurinder Chadha who also co-wrote and directed Bend It Like Beckham (2002). Her work on the movie interested me more than the trailer. The other screenwriter is Paul Mayeda Berges, a co-writer on Bend It Like Beckham. There is also director/writer, Sarfraz Manzoor, writing about his own story, based on his book Greetings from Bury Park (2007). The title, “Binded by the Light”, was one of Springsteen’s hits, but also became popular through the Mannfred Mann cover. “Born to Run” seems more appropriate, but no, the title is perfect for the themes and for Springsteen fans.
It opens showing the M1 motorway going past the hills of Lutton, northwest of London. This is our visual symbol that may take anyone out of the small town. On the hill is ten year old Javed (Ronak Singh Chadha Berges), his narration explains that his friend, Matt (Billy Barratt) got a bicycle for his birthday. Matt has given Javed a journal he wasn’t using and now the young writer is busy putting his thoughts in it. It is now 1987, ten years later, with the now sixteen year old Javed. He is played by Viveik Kaira, the actor is in the historical drama, Beecham House and also the drama series Next of Kin. Kaira is another actor to watch out for, Javed is the quiet guy, but wants more. He has all of the emotional range of the part and you just wait for when his spirit is free. Javed constantly carries around his Walkman with headphones.
It opens showing the M1 motorway going past the hills of Lutton, northwest of London. This is our visual symbol that may take anyone out of the small town. On the hill is ten year old Javed (Ronak Singh Chadha Berges), his narration explains that his friend, Matt (Billy Barratt) got a bicycle for his birthday. Matt has given Javed a journal he wasn’t using and now the young writer is busy putting his thoughts in it. It is now 1987, ten years later, with the now sixteen year old Javed. He is played by Viveik Kaira, the actor is in the historical drama, Beecham House and also the drama series Next of Kin. Kaira is another actor to watch out for, Javed is the quiet guy, but wants more. He has all of the emotional range of the part and you just wait for when his spirit is free. Javed constantly carries around his Walkman with headphones.
Javed notes that this is the time of Margaret Thatcher as prime minister and also the time of the fascist National Front (NF) so this reflects our times except they are now marching with tiki torches. Javed finds himself with his life planned by his father, Malik (Kulvinder Ghir), who wants him to go to college to find a job better than working at a car factory like himself. Ghir was also in Bend It Like Beckham, his character is the hard working immigrant parent, but the opportunity of living in the UK is faced with the racism. His mother, Noor (Meera Ganatra) is a seamstress working tirelessly for the loads of laundry dropped off at the house.
His sisters are played by first time actresses, older sister Yasmeen (Tara Divina) about to be married and young sister, Shazia (Nikita Mehta) who we later find out attends a private school. Javed’s Pakistani Muslim family is traditional. Javed is still friends with Matt now played by Dean-Charles Chapman. He played Tommen Baratheon in Game of Thrones and was Castor in the action series Into the Badlands. He is caught in the New Wave with the big hair and wanting to use his band to leave the town. Matt is busy with his girlfriend, Emma (Kit Reeve), and they hope to set him up with a girl she knows at Matt’s party. Javed is of course interested in girls, but he is really interested in activist Eliza (Nell Williams). She is also from Game of Thrones playing a young Cersei Lannister. This is one of my favorite teen romances that plays honest.
His sisters are played by first time actresses, older sister Yasmeen (Tara Divina) about to be married and young sister, Shazia (Nikita Mehta) who we later find out attends a private school. Javed’s Pakistani Muslim family is traditional. Javed is still friends with Matt now played by Dean-Charles Chapman. He played Tommen Baratheon in Game of Thrones and was Castor in the action series Into the Badlands. He is caught in the New Wave with the big hair and wanting to use his band to leave the town. Matt is busy with his girlfriend, Emma (Kit Reeve), and they hope to set him up with a girl she knows at Matt’s party. Javed is of course interested in girls, but he is really interested in activist Eliza (Nell Williams). She is also from Game of Thrones playing a young Cersei Lannister. This is one of my favorite teen romances that plays honest.
Javed sees the spray painting by a NF punk who chases him. This is the tension that runs throughout the film. He heads off to school driven by his father, but the car stalls so all of the family has to help push the car until Malik can drive it. His father disapproves of Javed’s interest in girls and hopes to find him a wife. He sees Eliza passing out fliers. Then, he stumbles into another student dropping a cassette tape. This is Roops played by Aaron Phagura wearing the turban of his Sikh faith. Javed’s class has Eliza on the other side of his table and the teacher enters, Ms. Clay, played by Hayley Atwell. She of course plays Agent Carter recently in Avengers: Endgame and was Evelyn Robin in Christopher Robin (2018). Javed raises his hand hesistantly when she asks who wants to be a writer. She is interested in Javed’s potential as a writer even though he has not shown his poetry or other writing to his family.
He explains that the lunch area is divided with all of the cliques, but he sits by himself writing in his journal. Javed is joined by Roops who later gives him two cassettes of Bruce Springsteen. He is barred from going to the party and has to watch the party from his window. His father goes to help a Pakistan home owner with a real estate deal when the neighborhood kids harass them. Javed finds out that the car factory has let his father go and the family is desperate for income. His father dresses in his suit to go to the job centre, but there are no jobs. There is a storm coming and Javed throws his poems in the bin. He finds the Springsteen cassette and decides to play it. This is an interesting part of Chadha’s direction hearing the music, the words wrap around Javed, he runs out into the night and storm winds. The words are projected on houses and walls so that you feel how Javed is affected by Springsteen’s lyrics.
He explains that the lunch area is divided with all of the cliques, but he sits by himself writing in his journal. Javed is joined by Roops who later gives him two cassettes of Bruce Springsteen. He is barred from going to the party and has to watch the party from his window. His father goes to help a Pakistan home owner with a real estate deal when the neighborhood kids harass them. Javed finds out that the car factory has let his father go and the family is desperate for income. His father dresses in his suit to go to the job centre, but there are no jobs. There is a storm coming and Javed throws his poems in the bin. He finds the Springsteen cassette and decides to play it. This is an interesting part of Chadha’s direction hearing the music, the words wrap around Javed, he runs out into the night and storm winds. The words are projected on houses and walls so that you feel how Javed is affected by Springsteen’s lyrics.
Javed is profoundly moved by the Springsteen songs and collects his poems that were scattered across the street. He gets a denim jacket and emulates the Bosses’ style with posters in his room. It also gives him the confidence to submit a story about his interest in Springsteen to the school newspaper. He meets with Roops at a mall restaurant, he is given a videotape of Springsteen, but they are forced from the table by teen punks. Javed goes back to get the video tape and he is able to get it back. Javed gets Matt to give him a job at his father’s clothing stall at the outdoor market. Matt is chastised by his father by not recognizing Bruce Springsteen from Javed’s poster. This has consequences, Matt is shocked that the childhood friend he supported turned against him. Javed sees Eliza passing out fliers at the nearby steps.
He puts on his headphones and starts singing joined by Matt’s father (Rob Brydon). The actor played Bryn in the comedy series Gavin & Stacey. They sing to Eliza and then Javed dances with her. Javed and Roops go to try to convince the school radio dj, Colin Hand (Frankie Fox) to play Springsteen. They later slip into the radio booth and play “Born to Run” locking out Colin. Their punishment by the principal is promising not to do it again. Colin is angry since they scratched his Tiffany record. Very funny. To quote the Boss, "Nobody wins unless everybody wins." A great cast. This is my favorite movie of the year. Blinded by the Light is a film of meaning, romance, comedy, and of course the music of Bruce Springsteen, everything that should be seen in theaters.
He puts on his headphones and starts singing joined by Matt’s father (Rob Brydon). The actor played Bryn in the comedy series Gavin & Stacey. They sing to Eliza and then Javed dances with her. Javed and Roops go to try to convince the school radio dj, Colin Hand (Frankie Fox) to play Springsteen. They later slip into the radio booth and play “Born to Run” locking out Colin. Their punishment by the principal is promising not to do it again. Colin is angry since they scratched his Tiffany record. Very funny. To quote the Boss, "Nobody wins unless everybody wins." A great cast. This is my favorite movie of the year. Blinded by the Light is a film of meaning, romance, comedy, and of course the music of Bruce Springsteen, everything that should be seen in theaters.
Five Cassette Tapes out of Five!
#BlindedbytheLight, #GurinderChadha, #SarfrazManzoor, #BruceSpringsteen, #ViveikKaira, #NellWilliams, #AaronPhagura
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