Bend It Like Beckham the role of Jess's mother, Mrs Bhamra, Chadha turned to Shaheen Khan, whom she had previously cast in "Bhaji on the Beach". Anupam Kher, a Bollywood actor, was cast as Mr Bhamra, Jess's father. Chadha worked with The Football Association and ended up casting actual players from a variety of school teams. "Bend It Like Beckham" was released theatrically on 12 April 2002 by Redbus Film Distribution. The film then received a limited theatrical release in the United States on 12 March 2003, by Fox Searchlight Pictures. When originally released in the United Kingdom, it topped the country's box office
London Underground in popular culture London Underground in popular culture The London Underground has long provided inspiration in various areas of popular culture. Filming is now managed all over the system but most commonly takes place at stations like Aldwych (a disused tube station), formerly on the Piccadilly line, or the non-operational Jubilee line complex in Charing Cross. The Waterloo & City line has occasionally been used for filming as it is closed on Sundays. The London Underground Film Office handles over 200 requests a month. Although not "filmed" as such on the Underground, there have been two animated children's television series set on and