An uplifting and addictively entertaining ode to the music that plays soundtrack to our lives, Blinded by the Light also proves to be a socially relevant look into culture, family, and the power of Bruce Springsteen.
Music has the power to transform and transport us to places we never knew existed. Whether it be the opening riff of a song or lyrics sung with passion and power, the keys to do so in many compositions are varied. For many people, Bruce Springsteen is the conduit for such an experience. For decades the New Jersey native has written and performed songs for the downtrodden, the working class, the outsider, and the romantic. As one character puts it: “Bruce is the direct line to all that is true in this shitty world”. Amen to that, brother.
Blinded by the Light tells the story of one of those outsiders, journalist Sarfraz Manzoor whose memoir is the basis for this film. While the film’s title is named after one of Springsteen’s earlier compositions (made famous when covered by Manfred Mann’s Earth Band), it also represents the music of Springsteen as an illuminating, almost religious experience. It’s the Gospels, the blues, and the rebellious angst of rock rolled into one. For Manzoor, it was also a life altering experience, a path to a new light, a new way.
Manzoor’s story is personified in the character Javed (Viveik Kalra), a 17-year-old first generation Brit who is raised in a Pakistani Muslim household, led by his strict father Malik (Kulvinder Ghir) during the time of Thatcher’s Britain. Stuck between two restrictive cultures and unable to find a path forward as a writer, Javed’s life is transformed when one fateful night he loads a cassette of Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA” into his ever-present Walkman.
Director Gurinder Chadha (Bend It Like Beckham) masterfully presents this scenario akin to a wondering soul struck by lightning, young Javed standing in the howling wind as Springsteen’s words soaks into his being and across the film screen. The impact is real and everlasting. This is Javed’s burning bush moment, and nothing will ever be the same again.
What follows is a coming of age story that transcends culture and place. Chadha blends laughs with heartache, as teenage angst and cultural divisions are torn down brick by brick, song after song, resulting in a young man wholly embracing his own unique voice. Viveik Kalra plays the role of Javed with the right amount of hopeless romanticism, keen intelligence and firm moral grounding. Many of us who grew up in migrant families know the struggle of upholding to cultures and traditions from the old world and the new. In that regard the scenes between Kalra and Kulvinder Ghir are especially strong, with kudos to screenwriters Chadha, Manzoor and Paul Mayeda Berges (Viceroy’s House) for not making the role of Malik a black and white villain.
Chadha brilliantly implements Springsteen’s songs both famous (“Dancing in the Dark”, “Born to Run”) and fan favourite (“Prove it All Night”), creating a jukebox musical style film without the forced campiness that others of its ilk have presented. Fans of “The Boss” will get a kick from Javed’s journey into all things Springsteen, while those new to his work will at least appreciate this story of a young man falling in love with a new artist. No doubt most of us have been there and look back fondly to a time when the soundtrack to our lives shaped the way we lived it.
