‘Nice idea but I’m not a singer anymore’: Gurinder Chadha on Priyanka Chopra’s reaction before joining ‘Christmas Karma’

NEW DELHI: Acclaimed filmmaker Gurinder Chadha, who is known for her films like ‘Bend It Like Beckham’ and ‘Bride and Prejudice’, discussed the inspiration behind her latest movie, ‘Christmas Karma’, the fusion of British and Indian traditions, and her collaboration with Priyanka Chopra, and renowned sitar player Anoushka Shankar.

She also spoke about her plans for a sequel to the globally celebrated project, ‘Bend It Like Beckham’. She shared how the iconic George Michael song ‘Last Christmas’ was adapted for the film. “So ‘Last Christmas’ by George Michael is a big Christmas song, and I was having a meeting with his people, and they said to me ‘if you’re making a Christmas film, Gurinder, why don’t you use George Michael’s song, put your own spin on it, do a Bollywood version because George Michael would like that’.”

She then approached Priyanka Chopra, who initially hesitated, “I just thought well let me call my friend Priyanka and I spoke to her and she said nice idea but I’m not a singer anymore I don’t do that and I said come on yaar it’ll be fun it’s for the end of my movie it’s such a fun thing we’re all singing along we’ll all be silly and then she was in London and she said okay ‘to support you Gurinder just to support you I’ll come’. So she came we had a laugh and then Anoushka Shankar also came and she plays sitar on the track and so we ended up with our Hindi version of big hit ‘Last Christmas’,” said the acclaimed director.

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Reflecting on her childhood in England, Chadha described Christmas as a time of togetherness, generosity, and reflection. “So in England, growing up in England, Christmas is a big holiday for us, just like Diwali is here,” she said. “It’s a time when everything closes, you have a week-long holiday, and Christmas and New Year come together. Families and friends get together, enjoy food and drink, and also it’s a great time of charity. People give toys to children in hospitals, help the homeless, the elderly, and those who are alone. They go out of their way to be good at Christmas. It’s a lovely time of the year.”

‘Christmas Karma’ is a festive, fresh and feel-good musical adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic ‘A Christmas Carol’, and sees Kunal Nayyar (‘The Big Bang Theory’) lead the star-studded cast as Mr. Sood, our modern-day Scrooge, who we follow on an unforgettable and magical journey with the three Ghosts of Christmas (Eva Longoria, Billy Porter and Boy George), who help him to confront his demons and discover that kindness is the real meaning of Christmas. The film also stars Leo Suter, Pixie Lott, Charithra Chandran, Danny Dyer and Hugh Bonneville.

She cited her admiration for Frank Capra’s classic ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’, saying, “I wanted to make a film that makes me feel like that film makes me feel every Christmas.” The narrative draws further inspiration from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, written in 1843 as a plea for compassion toward the poor. “I felt that in today’s world, that was a really good message and particularly when it comes to refugees because that’s so common in our world today, and sometimes people treat people who have had to leave their homes for no fault of their own, you know, treat them quite discompassionately.”

Chadha explained that the film follows the story of a man who arrived in Britain as a refugee from Uganda in 1972. “So I chose to tell this story of a man who had come to Britain as a refugee from Uganda in 1972 and how the trauma of that and his hostile reception had shaped him into a man who was deeply sad and unhappy but loved money and thought money was the answer to everything and so the film looks at how we can be happy in today’s world and is money the answer or not.,” she added.

The eclectic soundtrack of the entire film is influenced by gospel, bhangra, Christmas carols, rap, and classic pop, creating a collection of songs that stands as a joyous and colourful musical celebration of Britain today and its communities and cultures. It features full versions of the songs, with performances by cast members and musicians, including Gary Barlow, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Billy Porter, Shaznay Lewis, Pixie Lott, Boy George, and Malkit Singh. The soundtrack also features songwriting and production from the likes of Nitin Sawhney, Ben Cullum, Panjabi MC and Hilmi Jaidin.

“‘Christmas Karma’ is also a musical, so a lot of singing, a lot of dancing, we’ll have a Christmas Bhangra song in there,” she added. Alongside ‘Christmas Karma’, Chadha is working on the sequel to ‘Bend It Like Beckham’, a 2002 sports comedy-drama. The critics praised the screenplay, light-hearted tone, and commentary on Punjabi social norms and culture.

Elaborating about it, she shared, “Bend It Like Beckham was a film really about female empowerment. That’s what I wanted to do. And I said it in the world of football, because that wasn’t a world where you would ever imagine an Indian girl,” she said. Twenty-three years after the original release, Chadha is proud of its impact. ” ..We’ve had a massive impact, and I’m super proud of that, which is why I’m now looking at that story again and saying, so how can we further those themes and how can we celebrate women and sport. So for me, I’m still working on the story, still figuring out what is the best way, but I’m definitely going to do something..”

Chadha stressed continuity in her themes of empowerment. “Whatever I do, I have to make sure that I continue the theme of empowerment, because it’s still not okay for some girls to do what they want. I want people to feel entertained and empowered,” she said.

Speaking about her long-standing relationships within Hindi cinema, she said she feels fortunate to have found warmth and acceptance in the industry. “Well I’m lucky that people here in Hindi cinema, they appreciate what I do,” she said, reflecting on the connections she has built over the years.

Gurinder recalled knowing filmmaker Karan Johar long before he became one of India’s leading directors. “I’ve known Karan Johar for many years before he even directed, I knew him, and I’ve seen him grow and change, and I enjoyed his film ‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani’ a lot,” she added.

The ace filmmaker also mentioned her interactions with some of Bollywood’s superstars. “I also obviously had the pleasure of meeting Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan, and Anupam Kher, who was in ‘Bend It Like Beckham’, and there are many actors whom I’ve met over the years and whose work I’ve appreciated,” she said. “And it’s good to see how good so many people are trying to do good work, good films, good roles.”

Expanding on her creative circle, she highlighted her friendships with globally recognised Indian filmmakers. “I think that, you know, I also know a lot of international Indians like Mira Nair and Deepa Mehta, good bond with Mira and Deepa,” she noted.

Asked whether she continued to support them, she smiled and said, “Yes, yes, we have our own WhatsApp group, and so we always support each other on that and now I’ve just wished Mira, she’s just started shooting her new film on Amrita Sher-Gil, she’s in Amritsar, so I wished her. It’s important that we all support each other.”

She also spoke about her experience working with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, with whom she collaborated on ‘Bride and Prejudice’. “Working with Aishwarya was fantastic, it was so exciting to make Bride and Prejudice because I was making my own version of what I saw as Hindi cinema but crossover,” she said.

“So it was fantastic to work with Aishwarya but also Namrata (Shirodkar) and Meghna (Kothari), all the other girls, I was a peer, you know, so we were a whole bunch of young actresses, and we were all together.”

Chadha also spoke about historical drama, ‘Beecham House’ and its potential sequel, “I loved ‘Beecham House’. And the problem was that I made it with an English TV company. And after I did the first season, they didn’t recommission it. Maybe we could get an Indian company. Then we could come back and make that as a great show.”
‘Christmas Karma’ is releasing on December 12 . (ANI)