Bhaji on the Beach (1993)

A group of women of Indian descent take a trip together from their home in Birmingham, England to the beach resort of Blackpool. The women vary in ages from mid-teens to old, and initially ... See full summary »

Director:

Gurinder Chadha

Writers:

Gurinder Chadha (story), Meera Syal (story)

Stars:

Kim Vithana, Jimmi Harkishin, Sarita Khajuria

3 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kim Vithana	...	Ginder
Jimmi Harkishin	...	Ranjit
Sarita Khajuria	...	Hashida
Akbar Kurtha	...	Manjit
Mo Sesay	...	Oliver
Lalita Ahmed	...	Asha
Shaheen Khan	...	Simi
Zohra Segal	...	Pushpa (as Zohra Sehgal)
Amer Chadha-Patel	...	Amrik
Nisha Nayar	...	Ladhu
Renu Kochar	...	Madhu
Surendra Kochar	...	Bina
Souad Faress	...	Rekha
Tanveer Ghani	...	Balbir
Peter Cellier	...	Ambrose Waddington

Storyline

A group of women of Indian descent take a trip together from their home in Birmingham, England to the beach resort of Blackpool. The women vary in ages from mid-teens to old, and initially have little in common. But the events of the day lead them to better mutual understanding and solidarity.

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Plot Keywords:

beach | england | physical abuse | seaside | day trip | 

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Taglines:

A day to set yourself free!

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and a scene of domestic abuse

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English Hindi Panjabi

Release Date:

May 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bhaji na Praia

Filming Locations:

Blackpool, Lancashire, England, UK

Box Office

Gross:

$735,192 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Channel Four Films, Umbi Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in Goodness Ungracious Me! (2002)

User Reviews

Surprisingly good "Slice of Life".

I found this film thoroughly watchable, and compulsive viewing. I think this was mainly because of the believable main characters, a group of Asian women.

The film itself is a compendium of stories, each person having their own set of problems.

The main cast are members of the "Saheli Women's Group" on a day trip to Blackpool. There is Ginder, a battered wife who has left her husband, a young girl who is pregnant by her black boyfriend, two old women stuck in the past, a vampish "mutton dressed as lamb", and two teenagers chasing boys.

There are some nasty reminders of the prejudice in our society, such as an encounter with louts in a Service Station. There are also some amusing scenes, the teenagers ridiculing their elders for example, yet the mood swings very quickly one way and another, as they are pursued by Ginder's husband and brothers, picnic on the beach, make friends with the locals, and visit a nightclub.

The film's main weakness is the number of issues that it tries to address, it's strength the "ordinariness" of the actors, who could each fill their roles in real life.

On a scale 0-10 7. Expect to be drawn in rather than entertained.