Gurinder Chadha

Gurinder Chadha, (born 10 January 1960) is a Kenyan-born Indo-British film director of Indian origin, cinematically specialising in the Indo-British lifestyle experience, a showcasing common theme explores specifically Indian women living in the UK and how they must reconcile their converging traditional and modern cultures. Although many of her films seem like simple quirky comedies about Indian women, they actually address many social and emotional issues, especially ones faced by immigrants caught between two worlds. Much of her work also consists of adaptations from book to film, but with a different flair. She is best known for the films Bhaji on the Beach (1993), Bend It Like Beckham (2002), Bride and Prejudice (2004), Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging (2008), It's a Wonderful Afterlife (2010) and Viceroy's House (2017). Her latest features are the biographical musical comedy-drama Blinded by the Light (2019) and the television show Beecham House. Early life Gurinder Chadha was born in Nairobi, Kenya then a British colony. Her Punjabi Sikh Khatri family family was part of the Indian diaspora in East Africa. Bhajan; her father (who died in 1999) and mother were both born in Kenya, and remained there until the political turbulence leading up to independence prompted the family to consider relocating. Her family held "united citizenship" under the British Nationality Act 1948 which granted them full rights of entry and settlement in Britain. Her father moved first and was joined by the family the following year in Southall, West London, when she was two years of age, where she attended Clifton Primary School. Chadha's father faced much prejudice because of his appearance as a Sikh Indian, wearing a turban and having a beard. Her father had worked as a clerical officer in Barclays Bank in Kenya and was unable to secure the same position due to his appearance. Eventually, the family opened a shop to provide the family with an economic toehold. Many of her future films would draw on her personal experience of being Indian and English at the same time, and how she dealt with the duality of her identity. Upon completion of her documentary I'm British but... Chadha insisted the premiere be held at the Southall Community Center to honor her home community. For example, she would not wear traditional Indian clothing, and she refused to cook for her family.