Film Review
‚Blinded by the Light‘ is based on a real-life story of a British boy with Pakistani parents whose life changed
after listening to the American singer Bruce Springs-
teen. The story is set in a large town called Luton. The
film’s director is Gurinder Chadha, and the cast includes Viveik Kalra as Javed, Kulvinder Ghir and Meera Ganatra as his parents and Aaron Phagura as his turbaned Sikh
friend Roops.
The film is based on the memoirs of journalist Sarfraz
Manzoor, and also co-written by him.
In 1987, Javed lives as a college student in Luton with an overwhelming father. He’s only got one friend: Matt. Depressed by his life, he spends his time on his hobby: writing poems. In college, he finds a new friend, Roops, who introduced him to an American singer: Bruce Springsteen. Little does he know that this singer
will change his life and the way he looks at things. Now he wants to reach out for his dreams. Sadly, his unemployed father is strictly against it. He doesn’t want to understand his son and his dreams. Javed stands in front of a big decision: His family or his goals. What is more important? What will be his decision?
This film includes music from the 80s. The lyrics of those songs play an important role in this drama. It represents the emotions of Javed but also his thoughts. The actors, especially Viveik Kalra give believable performances. The movie may be a bit boring because it doesn’t happen much, but the story is touching and shows how the life of a Pakistani in a different country can be.
This movie is well worth seeing. It will encourage you to reach your goals. Besides, it will teach you a lot, such as: Don’t be racist towards innocent people who are not from your country.
