Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Kim Vithana | ... | Ginder | |
Jimmi Harkishin | ... | Ranjit | |
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Sarita Khajuria | ... | Hashida |
Akbar Kurtha | ... | Manjit | |
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Mo Sesay | ... | Oliver |
Lalita Ahmed | ... | Asha | |
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Shaheen Khan | ... | Simi |
Zohra Sehgal | ... | Pushpa | |
Amer Chadha-Patel | ... | Amrik | |
Nisha Nayar | ... | Ladhu | |
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Renu Kochar | ... | Madhu |
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Surendra Kochar | ... | Bina |
Souad Faress | ... | Rekha | |
Tanveer Ghani | ... | Balbir | |
Peter Cellier | ... | Ambrose Waddington |
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. Written by Reid Gagle
watching bhaji on the beach is a charming experience. gurinder chadha's debut movie is a wonderful display of her obvious talents in presenting a pleasant picture of the indian diaspora without sugar-coating it. conflicts related to gender, generation and race abound, but the film never gets depressing. full of characters and fuller of huge variety in background music, it creates an upbeat, captivating atmosphere.
chadha's latest film, bend it like beckham simply cannot match upto the charms of bhaji on the beach. while the former is more commercially driven, the latter is an honest, cheeky and ultimately endearing experience. from the inquisitive shots of a busy carnival to the innocently affable punjabi songs the women sing on the bus, the first-time director has done a brilliant job in this socio-cultural amalgam of more than half-a-dozen important characters.
strongly recommended for anyone who likes 'slice of life' movies. its been ten years since gurinder chadha made this film. several movies have been made on the NRI experience, but only two have matched up to its brilliance - east is east and leela. bhaji on the beach is a must-see.
7.25/10