"Bend it like Beckham" Film review - 3

Hello, everyone. Thanks for coming back.

In this post, I would like to identify some issues that migrants face in the community they moved into that were illustrated in the film. The particular incidents that highlighted those tensions were Mr.Bharma’s experience of racism and insult at Jess during a football match.

Jess’ father, Mr.Bharma has been an excellent cricket player back home. After migrating to England, he wants to join the local cricket club. He gets rejected, not because he lacks skills in cricket, but because of his Turban. The experience of racism in the sports team makes Mr. Bharma strongly oppose Jess’ joining the girls’ football team.

Similarly, Jess, during her football match, gets insulted by a rude player from the opposing team. The player calls Jess a ‘Paki’ which is a very offensive term referring to Pakistani people. Jess feels insulted by this and reacts violently. As a result, she is given a red card.

Those two incidents in the film demonstrated the discrimination migrant people sometimes encounter in their new ‘home’. It is not easy for them to settle down and live without cultural difficulties either within their house or the outside community.

Thanks. Feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions or want to share your ideas.