Bend It Like Beckham South Korea, Martin Uden, said it was the "first ever Western-made film to air on television" in North Korea. A stage musical version of the film opened at London's Phoenix Theatre in June 2015. Bend It Like Beckham Bend It Like Beckham is a 2002 British-Indian family romantic comedy sports film produced, written and directed by Gurinder Chadha, and starring Parminder Nagra, Keira Knightley, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Anupam Kher, Shaznay Lewis and Archie Panjabi. The film's title refers to the football player David Beckham, and his skill at scoring from free kicks by curling the ball past a wall of
Bend It Like Beckham a person, but also the changing values and culture of NRI teens: Jesse's urge to break the social norm of the Indian home-maker, her sister's (Archie Punjabi) sexually active relationship, and the gay Indian [Tony, played by Ameet Chana]." "The Hindu" argued, "If ever there is a film that is positive, realistic and yet delightful, then it has to be Dream Production's latest venture directed by Gurinder Chadha... Light-hearted, without taking away the considerable substance in terms of values, attitudes and the love for sport, the film just goes to prove that there are ways to be convincing and honest."