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 and screenplay)

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 Sehgal	...	Pushpa
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:

england | f rated | generation gap | seaside | tradition versus modernity | 

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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 Punjabi

Release Date:

May 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bhaji na Praia

Filming Locations:

Blackpool, Lancashire, England, UK

Box Office

Gross USA:

$735,192

Company Credits

Production Co:

Channel Four Films, Umbi Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Although meant to be set in Birmingham, the women's centre is filmed in Merrick Road, Southall. On their way to Blackpool the bus can be seen driving on Western Road, Southall. The service station purporting to be on the M6 is actually the Heston Services M4 westbound. Finally the enterance to the M6 which all the characters drive on is the Hayes bypass in Middlesex.

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Goofs

There is no consistent "Brummie" accent (West Midlands UK) throughout from the main characters.

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Connections

Featured in Goodness Ungracious Me! (2002)

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Soundtracks

Tchip Tchip Song
Performed by Raymond Walbank
Composed by Werner and Rendell
Publishing courtesy of Werner/Valentine Music

User Reviews

An extraordinarily perceptive summary of life: sex and race

Gurinder Chadha, in the setting of England and with people of Indian background, has made an excellent movie about racism, sexism and the difference in viewpoints among generations. It is applicable to all people. Using the device of a group of "Asian Women" going from Birmingham to Blackpool for a one-day holiday, she includes stories about wife beating, unmarried pregnancy, loneliness, religious and cultural conservatism, and the most basic: sexual attraction. One of the most striking things about the movie, other than the intensity of the stories, is that no time is wasted. Despite the rather large number of characters, all are adequately described, and the stories are completely told. There is not one moment in the movie that I would modify. It is excellent: four stars out of four. I am looking forward to more movies and stories from Ms. Chadha.