Bend It Like Beckham
2002 film by Gurinder Chadha · Released April 12, 2002
Bend It Like Beckham is a 2002 sports comedy-drama film directed by Gurinder Chadha from a screenplay by Chadha, Guljit Bindra, and Paul Mayeda Berges. It stars Parminder Nagra, Keira Knightley, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Anupam Kher, Archie Panjabi, Shaznay Lewis, Frank Harper, and Juliet Stevenson. 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.
Cast ages when filming began (June 18, 2001)
- Parminder Nagra, as Jesminder "Jess" Kaur Bhamra: 25
- Jonathan Rhys Meyers, as Joe: 23
- Keira Knightley, as Juliette "Jules" Paxton: 16
- Archie Panjabi, as "Pinky" Kaur Bhamra: 29
- Shaznay Lewis, as Marlena "Mel" Goines: 25
- Anupam Kher, as Mohaan Singh Bhamra: 46
- Preeya Kalidas, as Monica: 20
- Alan Hansen, as himself: 46
- Frank Harper, as Alan Paxton: 38
- Gary Lineker, as himself: 40
- John Barnes, as himself: 37
- Juliet Stevenson, as Paula Paxton: 44
- Ameet Chana, as Tony: 25
- Kulvinder Ghir, as Tejinder "Teetu": 35
- Pooja Shah, as Meena: 21
- Nina Wadia, as wedding caterer: 32
- Ace Bhatti, as Nairobi grandson: 30
- Zohra Sehgal, as Biji: 89