Blinded By The Light: The Power of Bruce

I’d always enjoyed the music of Bruce Springsteen, but when I was first dating my late wife Gloria, she helped deepen my appreciation for The Boss. She was a huge rock and roll fan, but for her, there was something about Bruce’s lyrics that truly moved and inspired her. Gloria connected with his lyrics on a far deeper level than any of the other artists that she listened to. Bruce’s music helped her deal with a lifelong illness, and brought her a great deal of joy. We talked a lot about her love for Bruce and his music. I’ll never forget the look of pure happiness on her face the first time we saw a live Springsteen show together. Seeing Bruce through her eyes helped me connect to him in a whole new way, and it also helped me to share in her passion for his music.

Viviek Kalra as Javed

What brought up these memories for me was seeing the terrific new film Blinded By The Light. The movie, which is set in 1987, tells the story of a Pakistani immigrant named Javed Khan, who lives in Luton, England. Despite the disapproval of his very traditional father, Javed likes listening to pop music and writing poetry. While his family deals with the difficult economic realities of the Thatcher era, and the racism of fascist groups like the National Front, Javed dreams of becoming a writer. One day, his friend Roops (the only other South Asian student at his school) gives Javed cassette tapes of a couple of albums by Bruce Springsteen, telling him that Bruce really understands the truth about what’s going on in the world.

Javed listens to the albums, and is transformed by hearing Springsteen for the first time. He feels that Springsteen is a kindred spirit, and that all of the frustrations and hopelessness he feels about his own life are mirrored in Bruce’s lyrics. Inspired by Springsteen’s music and a kind English teacher, he starts writing about his real-life experiences. Javed also begins a tentative romance with Eliza, a fellow student who’s a political activist. But rising tensions within his family (his father is laid off from his job, and they’re struggling financially) threaten his plans to attend college and become a writer. Javed and his father constantly clash, and following an incident on the day of his sister’s wedding, he forbids Javed to pursue his ambitions. Will Javed find the courage to follow his dreams?

The movie masterfully expresses the yearning to find your own voice and place in the world, despite the pressures of family and society to steer you in a traditional direction. You don’t need to be Pakistani to understand the issues that Javed deals with in the film. If you’re a son, a daughter, a father or a mother, you can empathize with the struggles these characters are going through. And while it helps to be familiar with Bruce’s music, you don’t have to be a huge fan to understand Javed’s love for Springsteen's music. Just think of that album, movie, book or piece of art that you were knocked out by (and others may not have appreciated) and you’ll be able to understand his feelings. We can all relate to that rush of discovery when we find the thing we're passionate about.

Blinded By The Light is lovingly directed by Gurinder Chada, who also helmed Bend It Like Beckham and Bride and Prejudice. The screenplay for the film was co-written by Chada, Paul Mayeda Berges and Sarfraaz Manzoor, based on Sarfarz’s memoir, Greetings from Bury Park: Race, Religion and Rock N’ Roll. The film is visually striking; Bruce lyrics literally float around Javed’s body, and pop up on walls and other surfaces. It’s a magnificent representation of how a song can literally get into your head. There are some marvelous musical sequences (kudos to cinematographer Ben Smithard) set to Springsteen songs. This isn’t a musical, but the movie shares some of the unbridled joy of that genre in those moments. Bruce’s music is deeply integrated into the film; it’s the heartbeat of the story.

The cast is excellent; Viveik Kalra is fantastic as Javed, and Kulvinder Ghir is very good as Javed’s father, bringing real depth to a role that could have been one-dimensional. There’s also fine support from Nell Williams, Aaron Phagura and Hayley Atwell. Blinded By The Light is one of the best films I’ve seen this year. It’s a marvelous expression of the universality of music, and how your spirit can be lifted (and healed) by the power of song. Javed's story illustrates that we all share the same hopes, dreams, joys and frustrations in this world. If you’ve ever been moved, transported, inspired or changed by the work of an artist, I definitely encourage you to see this wonderful film. I loved it, and it brought back a lot of memories for me. I know that Gloria would have loved it as well. Here’s a link to the trailer for the movie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1YFA_J5JBU.