British-Pakistani boy finds himself through Bruce Springsteen in new film

The true story of a desi boy and American singer will release on August 14

The upcoming musical-comedy Blinded by Light has us excited. Inspired by a true story, the film revolves around a British teen of Pakistani descent getting his life transformed by Bruce Springsteen. The trailer has some hilarious one-liners that every Pakistani can relate to.

Blinded by Light trailer takes a look at The Boss’s impact on the world and how music really can change your life, amidst the racial and economic turmoil of the times, which can be said especially for some Pakistani migrants.

PHOTO: SCREEN GRAB

We are transported back to the mid 80s and introduced to Pakistani teen Javed (Viviek Kalra) finding his groove in an English town of weirdos. He writes poetry as a means to escape the traditions of his family, especially his father.

“I want to be a writer, but my family is stuck in another century,” Javed narrates as we see shots of his sister cooking - we hope it’s biryani - wearing goggles while chopping onions and his mother saying “make a wish beta”, presenting him with a cake on what we gather is birthday.

PHOTO: SCREEN GRAB

Javed’s father is strict and stuck in his old ways. Several scenes of the trailer show the all-too-real pressures of being a kid who is stuck between the world.

"STAY AWAY FROM THE GIRLS!” The father screams at Javed, embarrassing him in public and telling him to strive for the best grades in school.

PHOTO: SCREEN GRAB

While it is a bit confusing to start the trailer with The Human League’s ‘Don’t You Want Me’, it certainly sets those 80s vibes we all love.  Don’t worry though, because the rest of the three-minute trailer is full of those Springsteen classics.

Javed’s Sikh friend introduces him to Springsteen, who says the artist is “the direct line to all that’s true in this shitty world.”  From there, we see Javed spread his wings with his writings inspired by Springsteen’s lyrics.

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The verse 'I’m just living in a dump like this' is adequately played from the all-time Springsteen hit Dancing in the Dark, depicting Javed’s feelings as his sister demands why he isn’t listening to Desi music, saying “you will get confused and start hating yourself.”

PHOTO: SCREEN GRAB

The rift between the East and West certainly plays a part in the trailer, with Javed’s father clearly upset with his newly-found Springsteen inspiration, asking “do you think this man sings for people like us?”.

Javed also tries to bring balance between his family's culture and his life in England.

“My hope is to build a bridge to my ambitions and not a wall between my family and me,” he says towards the end of the trailer.

PHOTO: SCREEN GRAB

Directed by Bend it Like Beckham’s Gurinder Chadha, the film received a standing ovation and plenty of cheers when it premiered at Sundance Film Festival recently.  It was also heralded as the next great indie film since Sing Street.

If the trailer is anything to go by, Blinded by Light might just be the feel-good film of the year that will leave us with a euphoric feeling of wonder and happiness.  It is sure to gently hit the hearts of many people of Pakistani origin living abroad with conflicted identities.

The flick is set to hit cinemas on August 14.


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