BLINDED BY THE LIGHT

New Line Cinema’s “Blinded by the Light” is a joyful story of courage, love, hope, family and the unique ability of music to lift the human spirit.  The film tells the story of Javed (Viveik Kalra) a British teen of Pakistani descent, growing up in the town of Luton, England, in 1987. Amidst the racial and economic turmoil of the times, he writes poetry as a means to escape the intolerance of his hometown and the inflexibility of his traditional father. But when a classmate introduces him to the music of Bruce Springsteen, Javed sees parallels to his working-class life in the powerful lyrics. As Javed discovers a cathartic outlet for his own pent-up dreams, he also begins to find the courage to express himself in his own unique voice. 

Based on Sarfraz Manzoor’s acclaimed memoir Greetings from Bury Park, “Blinded by the Light” was directed by Gurinder Chadha from a screenplay by Sarfraz Manzoor, Gurinder Chadha and Paul Mayeda Berges. Chadha also produced the film together with Jane Barclay and Jamal Daniel.  Paul Mayeda Berges, Hannah Leader, Tory Metzger, Tracy Nurse, Stephen Spence, Peter Touche and Renee Witt served as executive producers. The story is underscored by the music and poetic lyrics of Springsteen, who gave Chadha his blessing from the film’s inception.  A New Line Cinema presentation, “Blinded by the Light” will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures and is slated to open on August 14, 2019.