The British movie ‘Blinded By The Light’, inspired by the music of Bruce Springsteen, is shaping up to be the surprise hit of 2019.
Set in 1987, ‘Blinded By The Light’ is when Margaret Thatcher was still leading Britain but across “the pond” America was ruled musically by Bruce Springsteen.
It was here that a young Pakistani teenager named Javed (Viveik Kalra) starts his adult journey guided by the lyrics of Springsteen. “Bruce sings about not letting the hardness of the world stop you from letting the best of you slip away,” Javed says starting his quest.
The premise of the movie, “Bruce is the direct line to all that is true in this shitty world.”
“I listened to everything … Its like Bruce knows everything I’ve ever wanted,” Javed says.
‘Blinded By The Light’ is directed by Gurinder Chadha, who was involved with Bend It Like Beckham and based on the book ‘Greetings from Bury Park’ by Sarfraz Manzoor.
According to his publisher Penguin, “Sarfraz Manzoor was two years old when, in 1974, he emigrated from Pakistan to Britain with his mother, brother, and sister. Sarfraz spent his teenage years in a constant battle, trying to reconcile being both British and Muslim, trying to fit in at school and at home. But it was when his best friend introduced him to the music of Bruce Springsteen that his life changed completely. From the age of sixteen on, after the moment he heard the harmonica and opening lines to “The River,” Springsteen became his personal muse, a lens through which he was able to view the rest of his life. Both a tribute to Springsteen and a story of personal discovery, Greetings from Bury Park is a warm, irreverent, and exceptionally perceptive memoir about how music transcends religion and race”.
‘Blinded By The Light’ will screen at the Montclair Film Festival on May 12.
About the movie:
BLINDED BY THE LIGHT tells the story of Javed (Viveik Kalra) a British teen of Pakistani descent, growing up in the town of Luton, England, in 1987. Amidst the racial and economic turmoil of the times, he writes poetry as a means to escape the intolerance of his hometown and the inflexibility of his traditional father. But when a classmate introduces him to the music of “the Boss,” Javed sees parallels to his working-class life in Bruce Springsteen’s powerful lyrics. As Javed discovers a cathartic outlet for his own pent-up dreams, he also begins to find the courage to express himself in his own unique voice. Based on Sarfraz Manzoor’s acclaimed memoir Greetings from Bury Park, BLINDED BY THE LIGHT is a joyful story of courage, love, hope, family and the unique ability of music to lift the human spirit. A New Line Cinema film, Warner Bros. Pictures will release BLINDED BY THE LIGHT in theaters later this year.
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