Jesminder Bhamra, the main character in Bend It Like Beckham, desires to fit in a culture other than her own, while pleasing her parents and remaining loyal to her culture. Jesminder was raised by a Sikh family; they want her to marry an Indian man, but she wants to play soccer. Jesminder has a strong desire to join the British society, but is fearful of neglecting her culture and losing her family. It is a challenge for Jesminder to stay loyal to her Indian culture because there are many rules and expectations. Jesminder is concerned because her parents do not accept or understand her love for playing soccer. “If I had an arranged marriage, would he let me play football?” (Bend It Like Beckham) Jesminder knows the importance of obeying her parents, but cannot help her desire to break free from the restrictions of her culture. Jesminder’s mother has associated herself with the Indian community in England, but Jesminder is involved with the British community. Jesminder has dedicated herself to playing soccer and being a loyal, committed teammate, but still sees pleasing her parents as a priority. Her choices in life are directly impacted by being born into a cultured family. Jesminder is very persistent and takes risks in order to achieve her goal, and ultimately, she does. If you are willing to work hard and take risks, it is possible to achieve your goal under cultural restrictions.

Throughout the film, different shots and costumes are used in order to show the character’s’ emotions during different experiences. The filmmaker uses close up shots to highlight the characters’ expressions. The use of angles in the scene where Jesminder is arguing with her parents about playing soccer in the house allows the viewers to feel involved and reminds the viewers of the cultural conflict presented. The low angle of Jesminder’s mother captures the Indian God looking down over her. She cannot escape her family and their culture. The high angle shot of Jesminder shows that her parents are disappointed with her and are looking down on her for disrespecting her culture. Close up shots display Jesminder’s concern about disappointing her parents, and her parent’s anger about Jesminder letting them and the Sikh culture down. The director uses costumes in a way that represents the character’s’ mood and connects it to an activity. Jesminder’s face is lit up with a big smile whenever she is wearing her so