Bend It Like Beckham filmmaker Gurinder Chadha shared a touching link to her film following the Lionesses’ remarkable World Cup match triumph on Wednesday.
The 63-year-old director oversaw a stone-cold modern classic 21 years ago with her story of a British Indian girl (Parminder Nagra) attempting to pursue her football passion, inspired by David Beckham, against family opposition.
Along with a razor-sharp writing and a pounding soundtrack, the film starred Keira Knightley, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Archie Panjabi, Anupam Kher, and former All Saints actress Shaznay Lewis.
Chadha has now revealed that several of the Lionesses have claimed they began playing football after seeing her video.
‘Today looking at all those headlines I feel very, very, very great to be honest with you, to now be part of this history and to know that so many women who play in the World Cup today started playing after watching the movie,’ she shared.
‘When the US women’s team won the last World Cup they went on record as saying – most of them said – [that] they only started playing after watching the movie and some of the England players have said that too.’
The Bride and Prejudice director told The Today Show on BBC Radio 4: ‘I think we just made you feel like anything was possible and that women playing football looked very cool and powerful. And that’s what I was trying to do with my movie was to show women with skills.’
Chada also said that she felt the film ended up ‘inspiring a whole generation today who didn’t know what it was like pre the idea of a woman picking up a football and being laughed at’.
The England women’s football team put on a spectacular performance in their semi-final 3-1 victory over Australia at the renowned competition, moving them through to face Spain in the team’s first-ever World Cup final this Sunday.
‘That was the film for females to see to motivate them to play football,’ England player Alex Greenwood told the BBC in 2017, as the film marked its 15th anniversary.
What a game! Had to pull out these from my Bilb merch! 😂😂😂 come on @England @Lionesses @FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/8F1DVcPi1J
— Gurinder Chadha OBE 💙 (@GurinderC) August 16, 2023
She also admitted that she ‘loves’ it, albeit she now finds it ‘a little cringe-worthy’ when she watches it again.
Greenwood, 29, won her 80th cap for England during the team’s 2-1 quarter-final win against Colombia, and has been one of the tournament’s champion players, completing more effective passes than any other player.
Source My Celebrity Life.
