Gurinder Chadha

Gurinder Chadha (born 30 November 1959) (Punjabi: ਗੁਰਿੰਦਰ ਚੱਡਾ) OBE is a British film director of Indian origin. Her films explore the lives of Indians living in the UK. She is most famous for the hit Bend it Like Beckham.

Background

She was born in Kenya but when the country achieved independence they left for India. They moved to Southall, London in 1961. She got a job as a BBC Radio reporter until she made a documentary for Channel 4 in 1989. She moved into film producing in 1993. She is married to filmmaker Paul Mayeda Berges who has worked with her on a number of films.

Career

Chadha is best known for her films Bhaji on the Beach (1993), Bend It Like Beckham (2002) and Bride and Prejudice (2004).

In the 1980s she began making documentaries for the BBC, and in 1989 released the documentary I'm English but... for Channel 4. This followed the lives of young British Asians. In 1990, Chadha set up a production company; Umbi Films. Her first film was the 11-minute Nice Arrangement (1991) about a British-Asian wedding.

Her first major film was Bhaji on the Beach in 1993.

She wrote the screenplay for The Mistress of Spices (based upon the novel The Mistress of Spices by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni) with Berges who directed the film.

In 2005 she appeared on the BBC show Your London. In that she told the story of a Sikh prince who had lived in London in the 19th century.

In 2006 she took part in the BBC genealogy series Who Do You Think You Are? in which she traced her Sikh family roots back to Kenya and to India's Punjab.

The BBC has confirmed that Chadha will direct the forthcoming feature film adaptation of the popular TV series Dallas[1].

Chadha was awarded Officer of the British Empire (OBE) on 17 June 2006.

Currently, Chadha is pregnent with twins by the end of this year.

Filmography

• My Sassy Girl (2007) (announced)
• The Closet (2006) (announced)
• Dallas (2007)
• I Dream of Jeannie (2006) (in production)
• The Mistress of Spices (2005) (screenplay only)
• Bride and Prejudice (2004)
• Bend It Like Beckham (2002)
• What's Cooking? (2000)
• Rich Deceiver (1995), BBC two-part drama
• A Nice Arrangement (1994)
• What Do You Call an Indian Woman Who's Funny (1994)
• Bhaji on the Beach (1993)
• Acting Our Age (1992)
• Pain, Passion and Profit (1992) (V)
• I'm British But... (1990) (TV)

Appearances

• Who Do You Think You Are? (2006)
• Your London (2005)
• Koffee with Karan (2005)

See also

• Women's Cinema

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