No matter how wide of a scope Bruce Springsteen has had for his career, I’ve gotta imagine that Pakistanis from Luton, England weren’t exactly his target fanbase. And yet, such is the power of the Boss’s lyrics that Javed (Viveik Karla), a Pakistani teen from Luton, connects to them so personally that it alters the course of his life. Blinded By the Light sees filmmaker Gurinder Chadha take the Springsteen playlist and place it into a Bend It Like Beckham story (which she also did), with extremely satisfying, joyful effect.
Before Dancing in the Dark entered his Walkman, Javed was a shy son of immigrant parents Malik (Kulvinder Ghir) and Noor (Meera Ganatra). An artist at heart, Javed wrote his poems and thoughts in a journal since he was a kid watching cars drive past his town. Javed’s high school teacher Ms. Clay (Hayley Atwell) encourages Javed to express himself, but it isn’t until fellow Pakistani Roops (Aaron Phagura) gives Javed cassette tapes of some New Jersey singer that Javed’s world opens up. Through the music, our hero finds the courage to push back against some local racists, ask out the politically woke Eliza (Nell Williams), and even attempt to stand up to his bullying father, while growing as a writer and artist. Baby, he was born to run!
Springsteen fans will be VERY pleased by Blinded By the Light, I’m very certain. However, this story taps into something deeper and more ubiquitous than just the Boss’s discography. There’s a long documented series of films about the power of music, and Blinded By the Light can proudly stand alongside them. This movie’s focus is on how teenagers connect to music. Those teenage years are that rare time where a song or singer can empower you to push yourself to try something new by altering your perspective on life. Additionally, those songs provide guidance when you feel lost, or when you’re trying to romantically woo a significant other. How many mix tapes, burnt CDs, or Spotify Playlists are made in the name of love? How many Adele songs are played when you feel sad? While Javed’s connection to the Boss is one of the more extreme examples of the power of music to change a life, there’s bound to be some part of his experience that every person will connect with and relate to.
And underneath all this music love, Gurinder Chadha throws in a wealth of specificity to Javed’s and the other characters’ experience that finds relatability through its details. One undercurrent to Javed and his family’s experience is racial bigotry in his little town; the far right movement in Britain decries “Pakis” and how bad they are for the country, creating not only more bullies for Javed to overcome, but also creating fissure between Malik and his son, as Malik has become jaded from this discrimination. Relationships between parents and children are part of this film too, and not just Javed, Malik, and Noor. Javed’s best friend Chris (Dean-Charles Chapman) doesn’t quite relate to his dad, which is how he and Javed bonded as kids. Eliza’s isn’t just the token love interest; her rebellious political spirit pushing back against her conservative parents makes her a fully formed character. And finally, the sneakiest emotional undercurrent is the fight of the working class to fulfill the dreams of their kids. Like Jess’s father in Bend It Like Beckham, Javed’s mother Noor quietly devotes herself heroically to her family’s happiness, sacrificing most things she personally holds dear for the sake of her kids. The payoff for her selflessness completely blindsided me with its simplicity and power.
Blinded By the Light is fun incarnate. Through Bruce Springsteen’s music, you’ll be singing along. Gurinder Chadha’s screenplay and direction will have you laughing along. And the cast’s performances will get you antsy to jump out of your chair and start singing along with the cast. When I hear how many times people see The Boss in concert, Blinded By the Light makes me consider just holing myself in my apartment for a few days and just listening to hours of Springsteen, hoping to find the enlightenment and empowerment Javed, or my teenage self would search for through listening to the music that we love.