Blinded by the Light (2019)

In England in 1987, a teenager from an Asian family learns to live his life, understand his family and find his own voice through the music of American rock star Bruce Springsteen.

Director:

Gurinder Chadha

Writers:

Sarfraz Manzoor (screenplay), Gurinder Chadha (screenplay)

Stars:

Billy Barratt, Ronak Singh Chadha Berges, Viveik Kalra

2 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Billy Barratt	...	Matt (10)
Ronak Singh Chadha Berges	...	Javed (10) (as Ronak Chadha Berges)
Viveik Kalra	...	Javed
Lee Barnett	...	Foreman
Dean-Charles Chapman	...	Matt
Kit Reeve	...	Emma
David Hayman	...	Mr Evans
Kulvinder Ghir	...	Malik (Father)
Nikita Mehta	...	Shazia
Rob Brydon	...	Matt's Dad
Meera Ganatra	...	Noor (Mother)
Lorraine Ashbourne	...	Kathy
Tara Divina	...	Yasmeen (Cousin)
Jeff Mirza	...	Mr Shah
Frankie Fox	...	Colin Hand

Storyline

In 1987 Britain, Javed Khan is a British-Pakistani college arts student in Luton in a family with a domineering father. Depressed by his oppressive family life and feeling he has no future in a hostile community, a newfound friend introduces Javed to the music of Bruce Springsteen. Touched by the rock star's powerfully eloquent affinity of his own feelings, Javed is inspired to reach out for his own dreams with his own talents. However, although Javed finds friends he never expected in this personal quest, he also finds himself butting heads with his newly unemployed father who stubbornly refuses to understand his son's new aspirations. In this conflict of values in a troubled time, Javed must decide what is truly important to him while his family struggles to understand what has changed and what remains with a new generation feeling born to run.

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Plot Keywords:

1980s | aspiring writer | british pakistani | title based on song | luton bedfordshire | 

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Taglines:

For Everyone Who Has Ever Wanted to Dream. You're Not Alone.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Music

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for thematic material and language including some ethnic slurs.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 August 2019 (USA)

Also Known As:

Blinded by the Light

Filming Locations:

The Mall Luton, Mall Management, 37 The Mall, Bedfordshire, Luton LU1 2LJ, United Kingdom

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,333,305, 18 August 2019

Gross USA:

$11,901,145

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$17,471,879

Company Credits

Production Co:

Levantine Films, Ingenious Media, Bend It Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Atmos

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The song "Blinded by the Light" was originally written and recorded by Bruce Springsteen for his debut album "Greetings from Asbury Park N.J." (1973). Springsteen himself states that the most important lyric of the song is the final line: "Mama told me not to look into the sights of the sun, but mama that's where the fun is."

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Goofs

When Javed heads outside into the hurricane to throw his poems into the trash, you can clearly see the large fan they're using reflected in the living room window on Javed's house.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Young Javed: September, 1980. My best friend Matt and I have the same birthday. He got a brand new chopper bike. It's really fast and looks so cool. I got a Rubik's cube. But Matt gave me this diary that he didn't want. And I'm going to write in it every day.

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Connections

Referenced in The Cinema Snob: Sunday School Musical (2019)

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Soundtracks

I Think We're Alone Now
Performed by Tiffany

User Reviews

Don't be fooled, this film is far more about the story than the music

I have to confess I am a big Springsteen fan and I really enjoyed the soundtrack to this film but unlike other recent movies, the soundtrack is just that, rather than being the core of the film.

This is a great little British movie based on a true story about a British boy with Pakistani parents trying to overcome racism and strict parentage in Luton in the 80s. It is very real but also very funny.

I found it a bit of a slow burner but it really took off and a film I will be watching again.

And of course, everything is a better with Springsteen!