Bend It Like Beckham Essay

In traditional Indian culture, it is the norm for a girl of age to have an arranged marriage to benefit her family, and then become a mother of her own. But not all modern Indian girls want to follow down this pathway. In the 2002 British Blockbuster film Bend it Like Beckham, directed by Gurinder Chadha, a girl of Indian culture struggles to overcome her parents strict rules and morals, while trying to find herself, and her passions in life. In the film, the main protagonist Jess Bhamra is faced with the conflict of her very traditional Indian parents restricting her from playing soccer, and making her learn to become an “Indian woman,” consequently highlighting that one should always follow the pathway of their heart, even if people tell …show more content…
When Jess started to play soccer as a young girl, her parents didn’t really mind it because they thought Jess would grow out of it when it became time to learn to cook, wear saris, prepare for marriage, and go to university like a good Indian girl should do, but when Jess was asked to join an all- girls soccer club, her parents refused to let her play with them. Jess’s mother believed that no one would “want a daughter-in-law who can kick a football all day, but can't make round chapattis.” Jess does not want to be the traditional Indian girl her parents want her to be, she wants more to her life than cooking meals, and taking care of her children. Even though Jess respects her family and the choices they want for her, her passion for soccer overpowered her feeling for her culture so much, that she was willing to bend the rules, in order to do what she loved. Although difficult experiences, such as Jess trying to hide the fact that she was playing soccer secretly, seem very tremendous at the time, there will always be a resolution, whether it be good, or