Gurinder Chadha is expanding her horizons. Best known for her smash hit “Bend It Like Beckham,” the writer and director is planning to foray into the world of animation. She’s teaming up with U.K. animation studio Aardman on a new family-friendly feature. Currently untitled, the pic “will follow Bodhi, a young Indian elephant from Kerala who dreams of becoming a famous Bollywood dancer,” Variety reports. Chadha is co-writing the Bollywood-inspired musical with Paul Mayeda Berges (“What’s Cooking”).
“Aardman is a great British national treasure. I am honored and excited to bring my unique British Asian vision to their acclaimed animation studio. Their work has so much heart, humor, and affection, and we share a love of authentic and joyful underdog stories about memorable characters – so it really is a perfect match,” said Chadha in a statement.
Peter Lord, Aardman’s creative director, added, “We are so excited to be collaborating with Gurinder, a truly great director whose beautiful, funny, and warm storytelling we have long admired. Her talent, when combined with the team here at Aardman, promises something new and extraordinary in the world of animation.”
Chadha has another animated pic in the works, Netflix’s “Pashmina,” a coming-of-age story that follows a first-generation Indian American and the adventures she goes on thanks to her magical pashmina. Her last feature, 2019’s “Blinded by the Light,” centered on a 16-year-old British Pakistani boy and aspiring writer whose life changes when he discovers Bruce Springsteen’s music. Most recently she worked on “Beecham House,” a period drama set in 19th-century Delhi that aired on ITV. She co-created the series.
