• Release year: 1993
• Director: Gurinder Chadha.
• Producer: Nadine Marsh-Edwards.
• Screenplay by: Gurinder Chadha and Meera Syal.
• Cinematography by: John Kenway.
• Music by: John Altman and Craig Pruess.

Shotgun Commentary: the type of film everyone should watch once in their lives.

Review

Bhaji on the Beach is a 90s feature that has preserved all of its meaning and relevance after three decades of existence. As such, it is an absolute delight to share with you that BFI has just released a high-definition physical copy of the film. Available for purchase now! More details after the review.

Road trip!

The feature follows a group of Indian women that go on a day trip to Blackpool. The goal is to have fun at the beach without worrying about the influence of the men in their lives. Women of all ages and personalities form this group, each with their own troubles and goals. Despite being a tight community, their differences and prejudice often makes them clash. An issue that is addressed during this trip.

There are four main storylines braided together into a single narrative. You have a middle-aged woman who is questioning her beliefs and values. A couple of girls who want to enjoy the full experience of living in the UK. A model daughter who just found out she’s pregnant. And finally, a woman who is divorcing her abusive husband. All the tales complement each other and are further reinforced by the presence of the supporting characters, which serve as a sealant for the story.

Through the different adventures, this film explores everything that is wrong with both the Indian and the British societies. The main theme is sexism. Yet, the story also leaves just enough space to acknowledge the subject of racism.

This latter subject is explored in a fascinating way. Not only through the expected racism of white British people against Indian communities, but, somewhat more surprising, the racism that black people experience at the hands of Indian communities. It is always baffling to see communities affected by a certain prejudice to then turn and punish others with the exact same thing.

The hypocrisy of prejudice

The film dives into this particular contradiction hard and unapologetically thanks to the pregnancy storyline. One that explores the ridiculousness of racism and the utter absurdity of perpetuating a nonsensical behaviour when you’ve already been a victim of it.

Much like the endless circle of intergenerational abuse, it is not uncommon to see people who have been terrorised, terrorising someone else in return. Still, even though it is perfectly explainable from a psychological point of view, logic and morals determine it should be impossible. A conundrum that is beautifully laid out across the whole feature.

Nevertheless, the movie decides to take things a step further by focusing on the obvious subject, sexism, through the lens of women instead of men. Sure, there are a few sexist male characters that could use a good run-over by a bus, but they are just there as small footnotes. The main perspective is completely feminine, making the examination of this social issue a lot more fascinating.

A women’s woman?

Much like victims of racism being racist to others, it is enraging to watch women being sexist with one another. Sadly, all women you know will surely have a story of being dissed by another woman.

In many cases, it is their own mothers or other female relatives. They comment on your weight, your clothes, your choices… They reduce you into an object that needs to always be prettier because that is what they were reduced to when they were your age. Sure, times change, but some scars don’t heal. Those victims of previous sexism and psychological abuse never learn how to do better, perpetuating a frustrating behaviour that serves none other than the patriarchy.

In the film, you observe this toxic behaviour between women in two different forms. A very most obvious one, and a slight but deadly mention. The first follows the intergenerational abuse that has been explained earlier. A form of damage that exists not because your family doesn’t love you, but because they have never bothered to know any better.

The final straw

However, the second approach is specially engrossing. That is, when one of the two most modern and young girls in the group comments on the other young girl’s pregnancy. It is shocking to see one of the most forward and carefree-looking people in the trip being rude and insensitive to the situation that the pregnant girl finds herself in. Naturally, a lot of it has to do with jealousy. But her words are eerily similar to that of the elder of the bunch, giving you a glimpse of how being drilled with the same old-fashioned ideas can sometimes mould your behaviour, even when you don’t consider yourself an old-fashioned person.

All in all, Bhaji on the Beach is the type of masterpiece that invites you to think. The kind of film that brings up subjects worth discussing with others after watching it. An exploration of society’s main epidemics that manages to keep the subjects light while still showing you why it is so important to address them sooner rather than later.

BFI’s release of Bhaji on the Beach can be ordered now on their website. Details and links below!

Special features

• Presented in High Definition
• I’m British But… (1989, 29 mins): a short film by Gurinder Chadha celebrating a defiant culture of British Asian sisters and brothers against the rhythms of Bhangra and Bangla music. Includes optional introduction by activist and broadcaster Shani Dhanda
• A Nice Arrangement (1991, 11 mins): a short comedy directed by Gurinder Chadha and written by Meera Syal about the pre-ceremony rituals of an arranged marriage
• First film of Blackpool (c1898, 1 min): early footage of Blackpool from the BFI National Archive
• Holiday (1957, 18 mins): the delights of 1950s Blackpool holidays are vibrantly revisited in John Taylor’s fondly remembered travelogue, produced for British Transport Films
• London Me Bharat (1972, 20 mins): the first Hindi-language film made in Britain, presenting a distinctive and sometimes surprising view of 1970s London
• Gallery
• ***FIRST PRESSING ONLY*** Illustrated booklet featuring a director’s statement, new essays on the film by Kohinoor Sahota and Jessica Boyall, and new writing on A Nice Arrangement and London Me Bharat by Rachel Pronger; a family recipe for onion bhajis, notes on the special features and film credits

Where to buy

All BFI Blu-ray releases are available from usual home entertainment retailers (HMV, Zavvi, Amazon UK) and in person from the BFI Shop at BFI Southbank.

Advice to take from this movie:

• You don’t need a man to survive, not even when you are a single mother.
• Never trust an abuser who says they won’t do it again.
• Talking is a much more productive way to fix issues than slamming doors.

What’s your take? Have you watched Bhaji on the Beach? Don’t hesitate to let me know your thoughts in the comments section below, or leave a message in my contact page! For more reviews and cinema-related articles, check out the rest of my blog! 😀