Blinded by the Light

During the week meself and himself went to the cinema. This is a very rare event but we heard about Blinded by the Light and we had to go and see it. It’s adapted from the book Greetings from Bury Park, which is journalist Sarfraz Manzoor’s memoir about growing up in Bury Park, Luton. The pic above is taken in Luton town.

We used to live in Luton and Andy worked just down the road from Bury Park so we went to see it for this reason. It’s set in the 1980s so expect lots of great music, nods to various bands, the fashion and the feeling of life in the UK under Margaret Thatcher.

Viveik Kalra plays the lead character Javed. He’s a really likable character, stuck in a rut by his overbearing father and trudging through life with dreams of being a writer. Javed meets Roops (Aaron Phagura) who introduces him to the music of Bruce Springsteen and if you want to know the rest you’ll have to see the film!

I went through a huge mix of emotions watching this film. At points there was definitely something in my eye! It wasn’t afraid to tackle subjects such as a racism, joblessness, family conflict etc. It was also a real feel good film with some fantastic moments, I don’t think I’ll forget the lead characters running through Luton town singing Born to Run. There were a few cheesy moments too but that added to the film.

Blinded by the Light took me back to the my teenage years, shopping in the Arndale Centre, walking through Luton town, the big great storm of 1987. I wasn’t a Springsteen fan but since I’ve seen the film I’ve started really listening to the songs – and they have a real depth to them.

So if you only see one film this year go and see this one. You won’t regret it.