Blinded by the Light (2019 film)
Blinded by the Light (also known as Music of My Life) is a 2019 comedy-drama film directed by Gurinder Chadha. It was inspired by the life of journalist Sarfraz Manzoor and his love of the works of Bruce Springsteen. Manzoor co-wrote the script with Chadha and Paul Mayeda Berges. It is based on Manzoor's 2007 memoir Greetings from Bury Park: Race, Religion and Rock N' Roll. Set in the town of Luton in 1987 Britain, the film tells the coming-of-age story of Javed, a British-Pakistani Muslim teenager whose life is changed after he discovers the music of Springsteen. Viveik Kalra stars in the lead role, along with Hayley Atwell, Rob Brydon, Kulvinder Ghir and Nell Williams in supporting roles.
| Blinded by the Light | |
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UK theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Gurinder Chadha |
| Written by |
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| Based on | Greetings from Bury Park: Race, Religion and Rock N’ Roll by Sarfraz Manzoor |
| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Ben Smithard |
| Edited by | Justin Krish |
| Music by | A. R. Rahman |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Entertainment One (United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand) New Line Cinema Warner Bros. Pictures (Select territories) |
Release dates |
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Running time | 117 minutes |
| Countries | United Kingdom United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $15 million |
| Box office | $18.1 million |
The film premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival and was released by Entertainment One in the United Kingdom on 9 August 2019, and New Line Cinema in the United States and other countries on 16 August 2019 via parent company Warner Bros. Pictures. Blinded by the Light received positive reviews from critics, and also received nominations for Best Film and Best Actor (for Kalra) at the 2019 SIFF Awards.