Film
Bhaji on the Beach
- Director
- Gurinda Chadha
- Certificate
- 15
- Running Time
- 101 mins
Three generations of Brummie Indian women head for Blackpool on a daytrip. Among those on board the minibus are Ginder, a young mother fleeing her husband Ranjit’s violence; 18-year-old Hashida, who’s pregnant by her black boyfriend Oliver; and emotionally neglected newsagent’s wife Asha. Unbeknown to all of them, Oliver and Ranjit are in hot pursuit. The plot that subsequently unfolds doesn’t harbour any surprises, but Meera Syal‘s well-crafted script handles complex political, gender and generational issues with a deft lightness of touch.
Director Gurinda Chadha, who ranks as the first Asian woman director of a British feature film, also depicts the tacky resort with a wry and affectionate outsider’s eye. The problem is that in her efforts to portray her large cast as well-rounded characters key themes tend to get diluted, while the alternation of comic moments with melodrama leads to a certain uncertainty of tone.
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