A Pakistani teenager living in the rural town of Luton, England in the 80’s, finds sanctuary in the musical talents of Bruce Springsteen.
Last week Warner Brothers invited us to an exclusive and intimate screening of Blinded By The Light at Village East Cinema. With a warm introduction from co-writers Safraz Manzoor and Gurinder Chadha about the film’s backstory and how they managed to get Bruce involved, the film’s authenticity and relatability skyrocketed to another level. Following the screening, the cast headed to B Bar & Grill for the afterparty. Leading stars Viveik Kalra, Aaron Phagura and Nell Williams attended the festive affair with live cover band Rubix Kube, complimentary drinks and buffet, and personalized Blinded By The Light photo-booth.
Blinded By the Light is based on journalist Safraz Manzoor, of the Guardian, and his seemingly “uncanny” and “unexpected” love for Bruce Springsteen. Directed and co-written by Gurinder Chadha, and scored by A.R. Rahman, Blinded By The Light stars Viveik Kalra as Javed, Aaron Phagura as Roops and Nell Williams as Eliza. As the title, Blinded By The Light, suggests, Springsteen plays a huge role in the film and almost acts as a character helping guide the protagonist on his journey to independence and understanding.
Javed is a misunderstood teenager who struggles between assimilating to the local culture, finding his place within his own culture, appeasing his parents and pursuing his creative dreams. With the universal premise of wanting to escape the isolation and lack of opportunity that plagues his hometown of Luton, Javed discovers his dream of being a writer. Armed with little else, but a journal and a pen, from a young age Javed begins writing down everything which turns into a love for poetry and creative writing. Raised by a conservative Pakistani family, with strict views, Javed feels as though he will never be understood and never escape his loving, yet overbearing family. Through discovering Springsteen’s music, Javed is able to find himself and what initially appears to be a dividing force between him and his father, eventually becomes a bonding experience. Check out Blinded by The Light in theaters August 14th!