Blinded By The Light
Overview
Blinded by the Light is a comedy/drama, a hybrid musical rooted in the British tradition of quirky comedies. It’s based on the memoir ‘Greetings From Bury Park’ by journalist/broadcaster Sarfraz Manzoor which chronicles his experiences as a British Muslim boy growing up in 1980s Luton and the impact Bruce Springsteen’s lyrics had upon him.
Gurinder and Sarfraz developed the film out of their shared passion for Springsteen. They both met him at the London premiere of the Springsteen documentary ‘The Promise’ in 2010 and discovered he had not only read, but admired the book.
Gurinder and producing partner Jane Barclay have casted familiar British comedy talent for the film including Kulvinder Ghir (Goodness Gracious Me), Hayley Atwell (the Avengers franchise), Rob Brydon (The Trip movies), Sally Phillips (Bridget Jones’s Diary) and newcomers Viveik Kalra (Next Of Kin) and Nell Williams as romantic leads.
Gurinder Explains…
“At a time of such political and social instability in the world, this film provides us with a vital reminder of our shared humanity and the transformative power of music on both a personal and global scale.”
On meeting Bruce Springsteen in 2010: “I quickly pitched him the film we wanted to make from the book on the red carpet and to our excitement Bruce nodded and said, ‘Sounds good, talk to Jon.’ We then spent several years developing a script we knew had to impress Springsteen and managers Jon Landau and Barbara Carr or there would be no film without his music and blessings.”
Sarfraz Manzoor Comments…
“Growing up in Eighties Luton as the working class son of Pakistani Muslim immigrants my world felt very small. In the music of Bruce Springsteen I found both hope and wisdom on how I could transcend my circumstances and make my dreams to be a writer come true. The fact that I was so affected by Springsteen’s songs shows just how powerfully music can transcend race, religion, nationality and class. Blinded By The Light is also a tribute to my late father whom I often fought in my teenage years not realizing his generation also had dreams they were not able to follow.”.
Read the Variety review from the World Premiere at The Sundance Film Festival 2019 here…
Blinded By The Light was released on 9 August 2019 in the UK, 16 August in the USA
RELATED VIDEO & MEDIA
