Gurinder Chadha 'Loves' Munna Bhai Franchise, Reveals Kiran Rao's Laapataa Ladies 'Stayed Back' With Her | EXCL

Born into a Punjabi family, Gurinder Chadha saw cinema through a different lens even while growing up. Taking her vision globally, she became the voice of the Indian diaspora in the UK. Tapping into themes

like womanhood, culture and other relevant societal issues, she raised the bar with films like Bend it Like Beckham, Bride and Prejudice and many others. Gurinder’s latest film, Christmas Karma, has released in the UK and is awaiting a December 12 release in India. In an exclusive interview with Zoom, Gurinder revealed the Indian films that appealed to her the most.

Gurinder Chadha praises Rajkumar Hirani

The global filmmaker lauded Rajkumar Hirani for being a good storyteller and praised his Munna Bhai franchise for being an entertainer. She said, “I love Munna Bhai films. Rajkumar Hirani is a very good storyteller and has good stories to tell.” She further spoke about the filmmakers who influenced her.ALSO READ: Bend It Like Beckham Director Gurinder Chadha Recalls Meeting Former PM Manmohan Singh: I Was Flabbergasted | Exclusive "Many filmmakers are doing great international-standard work. As a kid, I liked those early Ealing comedies about the English psyche and Englishness. I loved watching films like Brief Encounter, Passport To Pimlico, because they taught me about England and Englishness. After all, I lived in a very simple Punjabi world at home. That kind of cinema influenced me because they were telling me more about the society around me," Chadha shared.She added, “I particularly like Stephen Soderbergh. He's a great director and always takes his subject matter to a different level. His style of filmmaking is interesting to me. Also, Kathryn Bigelow. She's a woman who defies all the odds of what the woman filmmaker should make you.” Chadha further noted that Kiran Rao’s Laapataa Ladies stayed back with her for the longest time. “Kiran Rao's film Laapataa Ladies was a lovely film that was really well put together. It stayed with me,: Gurinder said, signing off.

About Christmas Karma

Christmas Karma is a festive, fresh and feel-good musical adaptation of A Christmas Carol and sees Kunal Nayyar 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.