Subhash K Jha (DNA; May 25, 2014)

The Bend It Like Beckham director has done it again. In a gesture that makes Indian cinema’s heart swell with pride, her iconic film about a girl who is determined to play football in the UK, has been selected as one of the films with a stamp being issued in its honour in the ‘Great British Film Special Stamp Issue’.

The other globally-celebrated films, which have also been issued as stamps, along with Gurinder Chadha’s films by the British government are A Matter Of Life & Death (1946), Lawrence Of Arabia (1962), 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Chariots Of Fire (1981), Secrets & Lies (1996), A Colour Box (1935), The Night Mail (1936), Love On The Wing (1938), and Spare Time (1939). To have a film by a British director of Indian origin being selected for this honour, is a matter of great pride for India and its motley group of filmmakers who have made a global impact.

When contacted Gurinder was understandably over the moon. Speaking exclusively to After Hrs, she said, “This is awesome! I believe my film changed race relations in this country from an ‘us and them’ culture to more of an ‘us and us’ culture. The proof is right here in the Royal Mail collection.”

Gurinder is now working on a musical version of Bend It Like Beckham. “It will hit the West End next year. It has been a brilliant creative experience for me working with West End musical royalty like Charles Heart, who is doing my lyrics and who also wrote Phantom Of The Opera. I am also working with multi-award winning producer Sonia Friedman who is riding high with Book of Mormon right now.”

Women directors still find it hard to break into big-time movie making. She says, “It’s still a male-dominated industry where they control the finances and distribution and so the female sensibility and audience are not always party to their consciousness, until a Bridesmaids comes along and everyone say. ‘Oh, women go to the cinema too and can generate hit movies!”