![]() Heartwarming and inspiring, Javed’s story reminds us of the transformative, universal power of music to transcend race, class, and nationality and bind us all on a human level.Javed Khan is a Pakistani teenager growing up in the 1980s in Luton, England. Based on the memoir Greetings from Bury Park by journalist/writer Sarfraz Manzoor, Blinded by the Light is a comedic, joyous musical companion piece to writer/director Gurinder Chadha’s 2002 hit film, Bend It Like Beckham. The Boss’s working-class anthems and affirming lyrics seem to speak directly to Javed, emboldening him to find his own voice as a writer, stand up to the racism around him, and challenge his father’s rigid ideals. What young Javed really wants is to be a writer-something his father doesn’t approve of or understand-and when a new friend loans him a few Bruce Springsteen cassettes, Javed is changed forever. His father’s recent job termination and the neighborhood skinheads are a daily reminder of the difficult times he’s living in. Javed, a 16-year-old British Pakistani boy, lives in the town of Luton. Here’s the official synopsis via Sundance:ġ987, Margaret Thatcher’s England. The spontaneous applause throughout the Sundance screening and what audiences are responding to in the film. Kalha’s reaction to reading the script for Blinded by the Light, his feature-film debut. What they learned from early screenings that impacted the finished film. What it was like waiting for Bruce Springsteen’s opinion on the film, and what his immediate reaction was. How the film got permission to use the music from Bruce Springsteen himself. What it was like for Manzoor to watch the casting process for characters based on himself and his father. The scene where Kalra sings “Thunder Road” and figuring out how to sing with meaning. What the auction process and first conversations were like for Viveik Kalra. The one clip you have to watch to understand why they made this film about Bruce Springsteen’s music. Having to clean up Bruce Springsteen’s archive footage because he mumbles. The film’s production design and getting Sarfraz Manzoor’s actual poems into the film. How the story of Blinded By the Light came about. Getting a standing ovation at Sundance and then selling the film’s worldwide rights to New Line. Gurinder Chadha, Sarfraz Manzoor and Viveik Kalra: They talked about getting a standing ovation at Sundance and then selling the film’s worldwide rights to New Line, how the film happened, how they got Bruce Springsteen’s music, the scene where Kalra sings “Thunder Road” and figuring out how to sing with meaning, what it was like for Manzoor to watch the casting process for characters based on himself and his father, what they learned from early screenings that impacted the finished film, Springsteen’s opinion on the film, the spontaneous applause throughout the Sundance screening and what audiences are responding to in the film, and so much more. Shortly after seeing the film I sat down with Gurinder Chadha, Sarfraz Manzoor and Viveik Kalra at the Collider studio at the Kia Supper Suite in Park City. Trust me, Blinded by the Light is one of those special films that will make you laugh and cry and you’ll love every second of it. Admittedly it’s currently January and we have a lot of road ahead of us, but I have no doubt that by the time 2019 is done, Blinded by the Light will stand as one of the year’s best films.” About how art in general can shape and affect one’s life in substantial ways-especially during the advent of adolescence. ![]() It’s a rapturously joyous, heartfelt, and genuinely insightful film not just about The Boss, but about the personal nature and power of music. You may think the film’s sentimentality is too much, but you’ll be in tears by the end. You may be initially dubious about its premise-a coming-of-age 80s-set story about a young British Pakistani boy who discovers his identity by listening to Bruce Springsteen-but you will inevitably succumb to its charms. “ Blinded by the Light is an irresistible movie. ![]() Here’s a bit from Adam Chitwood’s review:
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