24 Years of Bend It Like Beckham: Gurinder Chadha’s film is the ONLY movie to have been distributed in every country, including North Korea; TV premiere was CENSORED by nearly 50 minutes : Bollywood News

Gurinder Chadha’s Bend It Like Beckham (2002) celebrated its twenty fourth anniversary on July 12. The UK manufacturing featured a predominantly Indian solid, together with Keira Knightley and Jonathan Rhys Meyers in distinguished roles. Made on a modest funds of simply $5.6 million, the movie went on to gross a exceptional $92.2 million worldwide.

Gurinder Chadha’s Bend It Like Beckham marked 24 years with global distribution

24 Years of Bend It Like Beckham: Gurinder Chadha’s movie is the ONLY film to have been distributed in each nation, together with North Korea; TV premiere was CENSORED by almost 50 minutes

Bend It Like Beckham additionally achieved a uncommon distinction – it was screened in North Korea. In the course of the promotions of her movie Christmas Karma (2025), Gurinder Chadha advised Mid-Day’s Mayank Shekhar, “Bend It Like Beckham stays the one movie within the historical past of cinema to have been distributed in each nation of the world, together with North Korea!”

Bend It Like Beckham was first screened in North Korea on the ninth Pyongyang Worldwide Movie Pageant in 2004. Pageant organizer Nicholas Bonner wrote his first-hand account of the screening of the movie. He wrote, “If a movie is widespread, it quickly sells out. Which is strictly what occurred with Bend It Like Beckham. The movie was a success! It screened at 3 cinemas for 4 days and reached an viewers of 12,000. An astonishing quantity in such a short while.”

Then, on December 26, 2010, the movie made historical past by airing nationwide on North Korean state tv (Korean Central Tv). Nick Bonner, the person behind Beijing-based Koryo Excursions, mentioned, “That is the primary Western movie broadcast all through the entire of North Korea.”

The printed was negotiated by the British Embassy in Pyongyang, led by Ambassador Peter Hughes, to commemorate 10 years of diplomatic relations between the UK and the DPRK.

Nevertheless, as per studies, the 112-minute-long movie was closely censored and trimmed to only an hour for its North Korean broadcast. As per an article in Mail & Guardian, “Though Bend It like Beckham is a couple of sport beloved amongst North Koreans, the movie additionally tackles taboo matters, together with interracial relationships, homosexuality and faith.”

Bend It Like Beckham is a couple of soccer-mad teenage lady in London who revolts towards her conventional Punjabi household by idolizing David Beckham and taking part in soccer in a neighborhood all-female group. It additionally starred Parminder Nagra, Anupam Kher, Zohra Sehgal and others.