Blinded by the Light: Gurinder Chadha's new British Asian story

Blinded by the Light is a semi-autobiographical take on the adolescent life of journalist Sarfraz Manzoor, the prolific documentary-maker and journalist. The film, directed by Gurinder Chadha of Bend It Like Beckham fame, focuses on Manzoor’s upbringing in 1980s Luton and his obsession with Bruce ‘The Boss’ Springsteen, the All-American Hero and singer of the ever-present if not titularly diverse hits ‘Born to Run’ and ‘Born in the U.S.A’.

Javed (a thinly-veiled Manzoor; played by the just-out-of-college Viveik Kalra) is a nerdy adolescent navigating his way through a Thatcherian estate with nothing to relate to but Springsteenian lyrics like 'I’m just living in a dump like this' and 'tear this whole town apart', which hit comfortably close to home.

The teenager is thusly inspired to write poetry, and travel to Springsteen’s hometown of Long Branch, New Jersey; moves which his heritage-driven (‘my dream was to work hard and provide for my family’) dad (Kulvinder Ghir) personally and publicly considers ill-informed.

The film tracks Javed’s pursuit of cultural freedom through his unique socio-cultural landscape, a journey he takes with an enviable soppiness and vitality. Rob Brydon has a notable presence in the film, at one point making a dad joke in the form of his stand-up material, serving to compound its inevitable loveliness. Surely, this looks set to be a heartwarming film worth a break from the heat outside.