No sequel to Bend It Like Beckham, says director

Director and screenwriter Gurinder Chadha at the 67th Berlinale International Film Festival in Berlin, Germany in February. Photo: Reuters

For director Gurinder Chadha, a story is complete when the film ends.

“That’s why I never made a sequel to Bend It Like Beckham. I can’t see a sequel; the ending is the ending,” said Gurinder, 57. She was in Kuala Lumpur recently to give a talk titled Lifetime In Filming at APU University.

Gurinder wrote and directed the 2002 British film starring Parminder Nagra, Keira Knightley and Archie Panjabi. The film was a hit internationally, and gave the world its first glimpse of Knightley.

“I think it’s very important when you embark on a script to know what your ending is. Where do you want to go with a story? At some point when you start writing and directing, it starts telling you what to do. You don’t control it, it controls you. When you are open to this process, the characters and story start creating the film for you. You know what to do next,” the director added.

Bend It Like Beckham was made at a budget of US$6mil and grossed US$76.5mil worldwide. A stage musical version of the film – Bend It Like Beckham: The Musical – opened at London’s Phoenix Theatre in 2015. Later this year, the musical travels to North America.

Gurinder’s new film, Viceroy’s House, is scheduled to open in Malaysia in August.

Parminder Nagra in Bend It Like Beckham.