The lyrics of Bruce Springsteen run heavily throughout this story about a Pakistani British teenager in the ’80s who’s struggling with a sense of hopelessness until he discovers Springsteen and finds the courage to be himself.
The breakout star is a guy named Viveik Kalra. He sang “Born to Run” for his audition, and does a dance sequence to it in the movie. There’s also a scene where he sings “Thunder Road” to a girl he likes after becoming an obsessed Springsteen fan.
Bruce loved the script so much that he actually gave them permission to use 17 of his songs in the movie. And when he saw the film for the first time, he told the director, quote, “Thank you for looking after me so beautifully.”
It’s directed by “Bend It Like Beckham” director Gurinder Chadha, and based on a memoir by Sarfraz Manzoor called “Greetings from Bury Park”.
