Gurinder Chadha, the director best known for her hit film Bend It Like Beckham (2002), recently voiced her ongoing challenges in securing funding for films that highlight the experiences of Asian communities and feature Asian actors.
The British-Kenyan director, who has Indian heritage and grew up in Southall, West London, believes that investors often hesitate to back her projects due to industry biases against movies led by people of color.
Chadha’s latest film, Christmas Karma, a modern adaptation of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, stars Big Bang Theory actor Kunal Nayyar as Scrooge.
Although Nayyar is a renowned London-born Indian actor, Chadha noted that attracting funding for this type of diverse storytelling remains a struggle.
“People talk about diversity, but in practice, it’s still far from where I hoped it would be by now,” she shared in an interview with BBC Radio London.
Despite Bend It Like Beckham’s resounding success—it grossed £60 million on a modest £3.5 million budget—Chadha still encounters reluctance from financiers.
“It’s all about money,” she explained, noting that while audiences seem open to a mix of stories, financial backers remain cautious. “I wish it weren’t the case, but it’s something I don’t understand.”
The British Film Institute (BFI) has acknowledged the industry’s long-standing lack of representation, with equity, diversity, and inclusion now central to its National Lottery funding strategy.
Currently, 44% of directors funded by the BFI identify as Black or from other Global Majority backgrounds, aligning with the BFI’s target for London.
However, figures for writers (33%) and producers (9%) still fall short.
Following her success with films like Viceroy’s House (2017) and Blinded by the Light (2019), Chadha hopes her new release, Christmas Karma, will inspire a shift in the industry.
Alongside Nayyar, the film stars Hugh Bonneville and Eva Longoria and explores themes of identity, Britishness, and societal evolution—much like her acclaimed Bend It Like Beckham.
Describing her latest project, she quipped, “It’s my ‘Bend it Like Santa’ film.”
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