Bend It Like Beckham

For the 2015 West End musical, see Bend It Like Beckham: The Musical.

Bend It Like Beckham
Two sporty girls hugging.
UK theatrical release poster
Directed byGurinder Chadha
Written by
Story byGurinder Chadha
Produced by
  • Gurinder Chadha
  • Deepak Nayare
Starring
CinematographyJong Lin
Edited byJustin Krish
Music byCraig Pruess
Production
companies
  • Kintop Pictures
  • Bend It Films
  • Roc Media
  • Road Movies Filmproduktion[1]
Distributed by
Release dates
  • 12 April 2002 (2002-04-12) (United Kingdom)
  • 3 October 2002 (2002-10-03) (Germany)[1]
  • 12 March 2003 (2003-03-12) (United States)
Running time
112 minutes[3]
Countries
Languages
  • English
  • Hindi
  • Punjabi
Budget$5.6 million[5]
Box office$76.6 million[6]

Bend It Like Beckham is a 2002 sports comedy-drama film directed by Gurinder Chadha from a screenplay by Chadha, Paul Mayeda Berges, and Guljit Bindra. The film stars Parminder Nagra, Keira Knightley, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Anupam Kher, Juliet Stevenson, Shaznay Lewis and Archie Panjabi.[7] In Bend It Like Beckham, Jesminder Bhamra (Nagra) and Jules Paxton (Knightley) chase careers in professional football despite their parents' wishes.

Development for the film began after Chadha, Bindra, and Berges completed the screenplay by early 2001. Nagra and Knightley were hired soon after, with casting rounded out with the additions of Meyers, Kher, Stevenson, Lewis, and Panjabi by that May. Principal photography began in June 2001 and lasted until September, with filming locations including London, Shepperton Studios, and Hamburg. Production collaborated with The Football Association, while the film's title refers to David Beckham's curling free kick technique, also known as bending.[8][9]

Bend It Like Beckham was theatrically released first in the United Kingdom on 12 April 2002 by Redbus Film Distribution. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise for the screenplay, light-hearted tone, and commentary on Punjabi social norms and culture. Bend It Like Beckham grossed $76.6 million at the box office, making it the highest-grossing football sports film.[10] In 2015 it was adapted into a stage musical that opened at the Phoenix Theatre.[11]

  1. ^ a b c "Kick It Like Beckham". Filmportal.de (in German). Archived from the original on 24 December 2022. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  2. ^ a b c "Bend it Like Beckham (2002)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 20 June 2016.
  3. ^ "Bend It Like Beckham (12)". British Board of Film Classification. 11 March 2002. Archived from the original on 29 September 2017. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  4. ^ a b c Elley, Derek (28 March 2002). "Bend It Like Beckham". Variety. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
  5. ^ "Bend it Like Beckham (2002) – Financial Information". Archived from the original on 2 June 2022. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  6. ^ Bend It Like Beckham at Box Office Mojo
  7. ^ "What the cast of Bend It Like Beckham looks like now". Who. 4 September 2018. Archived from the original on 11 March 2023. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  8. ^ "Soccer: Bending the Ball". Encyclopedia.com. Archived from the original on 21 August 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  9. ^ "Bend". SportsLingo.com. Archived from the original on 21 August 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  10. ^ "18 Winning Facts About Bend It Like Beckham". www.mentalfloss.com. 12 March 2018. Archived from the original on 6 June 2023. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  11. ^ "Bend It Like Beckham the Musical". Archived from the original on 28 July 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2015.