Who Wants to Cook Aloo Gobi. Review on Bend it Like Beckham Movie

In the light of David Beckham's foot injury, which could keep him out of the World Cup and might conceivably lead to England's premature exit from the tournament, the timing of this British comedy could not have been better. “Who wants to cook Aloo Gobi when you can bend a ball like Beckham” This is how the producers of “Bend it like Beckham” have publicised the film. The player was to have attended the film's première at London's Leicester Square, on Thursday 11th April 2002 but his broken foot put a stop to the plan David and his pop star wife Victoria sent a personal note to director Gurinder Chadha, apologising for not being able to attend and wishing her luck.

The film stars some big names, including singer Shaznay Lewis and actors Juliet Stephenson and Jonathan Rhys Myers. The central character is a young Punjabi girl who lives in Southall, west London and has one abiding passion - David Beckham. It is about a young Indian woman who wants to become a professional footballer and idolises the Manchester United midfielder. Jess (Parminder Nagra) is an 18-year-old tomboy who wants more from life than knowing how to cook the perfect chapatti. However, she knows her parents, played by Shaheen Khan and Anupam Kher, would disapprove of her choice of idol. She hides her passion even from her sister, Pinky (Archie Panjabi), who is about to marry her long-term boyfriend So when Jess is invited to try out for Hounslow Harriers women's football team, coached by former professional Joe (Rhys Meyers), she jumps at the opportunity. Before long, she is donning her boots every week behind her parent's back and fostering a firm friendship with striker Jules Paxton (Keira Knightley). So when Jess is invited to try out for Hounslow Harriers women's football team, coached by former professional Joe (Rhys Meyers), she jumps at the opportunity. With an away match to Germany to aim for and the possibility of a soccer scholarship in the USA, things are looking up for Jess. But what will happen when her parents find out? Eventually, her parents discover their daughter's deception and forbid her from walking on to the pitch again, and Jess must choose between her family and her happiness.

The film has the same culture-clash East Is East but with a winning combination of comedy, action and drama. The young leads are fine, Shaznay Lewis as the captain of the all-girl squads fantastic. But the best performance comes from Juliet Stevenson, who performs as Jules’ mother. The plot is uncomplicated, with standard parent-daughter conflict, a standard buddy-relationship, a standard love triangle and a standard resolution. There are standard jokes about old people and the culture-clash between India and England. The Script is simply hilarious and the sound tracks by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Bally Sagoo and other Indian artists is superb. .