Latest news with #HounslowHarriers
Metro
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
The Bend It Like Beckham sequel needs to be gay as hell
An old Indian lady stood at a bride's procession and innocently said: 'Lesbian? Her birthday's in March. I thought she was Pisces?' Another piped up: 'She's not Lebanese, she's Punjabi!' When I first saw this scene from the 2002 film Bend It Like Beckham, I was in shock. I couldn't imagine seeing an old Indian woman say the word 'lesbian'. And since then, my queer friends and I quote these lines at least once a month, while rolling around laughing. But it's not just a silly joke – it's a pinnacle moment in a film that changed so many lives. For South Asian people, Bend It Like Beckham offered insight into our culture, the racism we face and the expectations we have of each other. It put my South Asian hometown, Hounslow, on the map and it is still the film we go back to when we want to talk about representation. But it also became a queer cult film for its suggestive subtext, quotable queer lines and coming-out storyline. So when I heard that the director, Gurinder Chada, has confirmed a sequel – hopefully with members of the original cast – I was ecstatic. But I had one thought: it better be more queer. No subtext. No nods and winks. Gay. As. Hell. With thousands of members from all over the world, our vibrant LGBTQ+ WhatsApp channel is a hub for all the latest news and important issues that face the LGBTQ+ community. Simply click on this link, select 'Join Chat' and you're in! Don't forget to turn on notifications! The 2002 Bend it Like Beckham revolved around Jess (Parminder Nagra) a young girl who wants to play football professionally. She meets Jules (Keira Knightley) and joins the girl's local football team, Hounslow Harriers, against her parent's wishes. It was a hit – made on only a $5.6 million budget, Bend it Like Beckham grossed over $76.8 million at the global box office. While the film didn't explicitly stipulate Jess' sexuality, her rejection of over-sexualisation of teenage girls and disinterest in boys made her the blueprint for a baby queer like me, and many others, to help understand ourselves. In one scene, when Jess and Jules get accepted for football scholarships in the United States, they celebrate with a hug and almost kiss while embracing – to my queer teenage eyes, they were basically fully making out. In another, Jess' best friend Tony comes out by telling her: 'I really like Beckham', giving her a pointed look. 'But you're Indian!', Jess exclaims – just as many have exclaimed to me when I came out. And, like the accepting friend she is, she instantly accepts him. Jess' cut off vest/hoodie was, and still probably is, the most lesbian outfit I've seen on an Indian woman on TV, and it helped me accept my own style. As a young teenager, I forced myself to dress and act for the male gaze. But by 17, I became an emo, wearing multiple studded belts, thick eyeliner around my eyes and baggy clothes. I was often called a 'tomboy' or 'weird' because I had rejected the expectation to marry a 'good Indian boy', and given space to my own expression. Some of my family had a similar reaction towards me that Jess' family had to her in the film, exclaiming that I had to embrace Indian traditions and be more like the Indian girls they knew. They wanted me to be less strange…less queer. But when Hounslow Harriers' coach Joe (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), says, 'Your parents don't always know what's best for you' I realised that the concept of 'respecting your elders' was a technique of control. The film could have been made for me. It's not just the narrative of the film, either, but the subject matter: women's football is indeed currently very gay. Today, there is a significant presence of openly LGBTQ+ players in women's teams. While the characters in Bend it Like Beckham would joke about sleeping with men and have crushes on their coach, the current Euro-winning women's England team today is made up of players like Leah Williamson, Beth Mead, Jess Carter and Lauren Hemp who are openly LGBTQ+. Gurinder Chadha revealed her sequel aims to release in 2027, to align with the FIFA Women's World Cup in Brazil. Chadha has been quoted as saying that she is 'excited to revisit the original characters and revive the enduring story and build on the legacy we helped to create for the women's game' and that, 'women's football is more competitive, more exciting, and more global than ever. It is an honor for me to be a small part of it'. More Trending Now we don't just want it back again, we want it gay. Just like the football we watch now, the lives we live now and the Indian people we openly exist as now. In 2002, we heard Jess say: 'I'm not playing with boys anymore – I'm joining a girl's team'. And in 2027, I want this to come true in every sense of the word. Let's make Bend it Like Beckham as queer as it was always meant to be. Do you have a story you'd like to share? Get in touch by emailing Share your views in the comments below. MORE: A stranger's rude question left me in fear of one word MORE: A cancer reoccurrence is a chance to life my best life MORE: My drink was spiked – then I got a life-changing diagnosis
Elle
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Elle
‘Bend It Like Beckham 2' Is Reportedly ‘In the Works'
Lace up your cleats, fans! This week, writer and director Gurinder Chadha announced she is working on a sequel to the hit soccer film Bend It Like Beckham, released in 2002 and starring Parminder Nagra and Keira Knightley. 'I'm excited to revisit the original characters and revive the enduring story and build on the legacy we helped to create for the women's game,' Chadha told Deadline in an interview. Here's everything we know about the project so far. In the original film, Nagra plays a teen girl named Jasminder who loves both soccer and Manchester United's David Beckham. Unfortunately, her parents are very unenthusiastic about her engaging in sports. She ends up joining a girls's soccer team in secret, where she meets Jules, played by Knightley. There, she discovers just how great she can be while also learning to navigate first romances and friendship. Her success ultimately brings her closer to her family in an uplifting story about following your dreams. Since it's 23 years later, everyone would obviously be in a new time in their lives. Chadha says a sequel will also address the changes in women's sports. 'I didn't want to do anything because I didn't have a story,' she said of the time gap since the first film. 'And then I came up with a great story, really super-cool story. So now I'm inspired. Literally came up with it just about a month ago. It's my very clear wish to bring the characters back very, very soon. Women's football is more competitive, more exciting, and more global than ever. It is an honor for me to be a small part of it.' She wrote the original screenplay with Guljit Bindra and husband Paul Mayeda Berges. Aside from Nagra and Knightley, fans would expect the return of Jonathan Rhys Meyers as the Hounslow Harriers team manager and Jasminder's love interest. But so far, no one is officially confirmed. Chadha stated that Nagra, Knightley, as well as cast members Archie Panjabi and Juliet Stevenson 'are aware that a sequel is being developed, but they obviously want to see a script before they commit.' 'I'm pretty certain that everyone's going to want to come back,' she added. 'Everything hinges on the script and if the original cast likes it. I am working really hard to make sure every character I bring back has a decent arc and scenes.' The goal for Chadha is to have the sequel out by 2027 for the original film's 25th anniversary, which will coincide with the FIFA Women's World Cup tournament in Brazil that year. This post will be updated.
