Shooting is underway for Gurinder Chadha’s next feature. Deadline reports that hybrid musical “Blinded By the Light” has secured UK and Australian distribution from eOne. Based on Sarfraz Manzoor’s memoir “Greetings from Bury Park,” the ’80s-set dramedy centers on a Muslim boy growing up in Luton, England. Both the film’s and book’s titles are nods to Bruce Springsteen, as Manzoor’s book emphasizes the impact The Boss’ music had on him.
Chadha and Manzoor, who both serve as producers on the project, met Springsteen back at the 2010 London premiere of “The Promise,” a documentary about the iconic musician. The pair were delighted to learn that he was a fan of “Greetings from Bury Park.”
“I quickly pitched him the film we wanted to make from the book on the red carpet and to our excitement Bruce nodded and said, ‘Sounds good, talk to Jon,’” Chadha recalled. “We then spent several years developing a script we knew had to impress Springsteen and managers Jon Landau and Barbara Carr or there would be no film without his music and blessings.”
The film’s cast includes Hayley Atwell (“Agent Carter”), Kulvinder Ghir (“Still Open All Hours”), and Sally Phillips (“Bridget Jones’s Diary”), and newcomers Viveik Kalra and Nell Williams play the romantic leads.
“Growing up in Eighties Luton as the working class son of Pakistani Muslim immigrants, my world felt very small. In the music of Bruce Springsteen I found both hope and wisdom on how I could transcend my circumstances and make my dreams to be a writer come true,” said Manzoor. He explained, “The fact that I was so affected by Springsteen’s songs shows just how powerfully music can transcend race, religion, nationality, and class. ‘Blinded By the Light’ is also a tribute to my late father, whom I often fought in my teenage years, not realizing his generation also had dreams they were not able to follow.”
Chadha added, “At a time of such political and social instability in the world, this film provides us with a vital reminder of our shared humanity and the transformative power of music on both a personal and global scale.”
Developed with support from the British Film Institute (BFI), “Blinded By the Light” is an Ingenious Media and Levantine Films presentation of a Bend It Films production. The pic will be introduced to international buyers at Cannes.
Also in the works from Chadha is “Song for a Spy,” a WWII-set story about female Indian spy, and a new ITV series, “Beecham House,” a period drama that takes place in a mansion in Delhi on the cusp of the 19th century.
Best known for co-writing and directing box office smash “Bend It Like Beckham,” the story of a Sikh teen who rebels against her parents by joining a soccer team, Chadha’s other credits include “Viceroy’s House,” “Bride & Prejudice,” and “Bhaji on the Beach.” She donated her working archive to the BFI in 2017.
