MOVIES
Director and writer Gurinder Chadha
breaks down her love letter to SpringsteenI
n 1987, Javed
(Viveik Kalra, near
right) struggles as a
British teen of
Pakistani descent
growing up in London. Luck-
ily, one thing helps with his
confidence: the music of
Bruce Springsteen. That’s
the story Gurinder Chadha
tells in her dramedy, Blinded
by the Light, which The Boss
himself has seen and loved.
The Bend It Like Beckham
scribe takes Us on her emo-
tional journey.
Q:What was your first in-
troduction to Springsteen?
I remember the moment I
saw the [album] cover of
Born to Run and was like,
“Huh, this is kind of unusu-
al!” It was something that I
wasn’t used to seeing at that
time. That was what first
made me interested. Then
I heard the album and that
was it.
Q: How did you cast people
who understood Bruce?None of the lead actors had
even heard Springsteen,
those crazy kids. During
auditions, I had them dance
to Born to Run! It was fun
but nerve-racking for them
because they thought they
looked like idiots.
Q: What was the most
memorable part for you?
The cherry on top was
showing Bruce. I was terribly
nervous. I said, “Here’s the
movie and everything I’ve
done. I’ve tried to make itme and said, “Thank you.
I’m blown away.”Show ’Em Who’s Boss
hearing the classic anthem
“Dancing in the Dark,” a light
goes off within and he finds
the confidence he needs. Al-
though the story — based on
screenwriter Sarfraz Man-
zoor’s memoir — follows a
predictable you-can-do-it!
narrative, there’s no denying
the infectious spirit. Glory
days, here we come!
MARA REINSTEIN, MARAMOVIES
.COMTra m ps like us, b a by,
were born to rock out to a
life-affirming comedy that
worships at the altar of
Bruce Springsteen. In a bleak
corner of England circa 1987,
16-year-old aspiring writer
Javed (Viveik Kalra) feels
lost in his strict blue-collar
home life and at school.
Then a friend lends him a
few Springsteen cassettes.
As soon as Javed startsFRIDAY 8/16Blinded by the Light
MU
STS
(^56) | AUGUST 26, 2019