Bend It Like Beckham (2002) - 15 questions

Question: What is the name of the song that is played during the wedding when they switch back and forth from the wedding and Jess's final match before her final kick?

Answer: Puccini aria Nessum Dorma sung by Tito Beltran. Famously sung by Aretha Franklin at the 98 Grammy's when Pavarotti cancelled 45 minutes before showtime.

Question: Where can I find the lyrics to the version of the song, "Hot, Hot, Hot" in the movie?

Answer: Find it here: www.osierra.com/index.php?p=63&c=1.

Question: Why does Jess's sister insult Jess and her future mother-in-law by calling them cows? Aren't cows sacred in India?

Answer: Even though Pinky and her friends are Indian by descent, they're very British, and lots of their language reflects this. Saying that the women are 'cows' is just one example of this.

Question: In the end, if it wasn't Becks, then was that Posh, or one of her doubles?

Answer: They were both doubles.

Question: When Jules is first talking to Jess about joining the team and the guys are mocking them, what does Jules mean when she shakes her hand? Does it mean anything?

Answer: It's an English thing. The term "wanker," used a couple of times in the film, is an insult, usually to a guy, meaning that he masturbates (presumably because he isn't actually having sex at all). What Jules does is the hand signal meaning "wanker," and you can see why if you look at exactly how she's waving...

Question: When Jess is being introduced to Mel in the locker room, Mel says to Jess "Welcome to the Harriers," then looks at Jules and says "Paints and decorators are in." It sounds like rhyming slang but I never heard that one before, what's she mean?

Answer: It's not rhyming slang, in this particular case. This is a phrase used (in the UK, anyway) to indicate that a woman is having her period.

Question: When Jess is upset about not being able to join the team she says something like, "I never bunked off school to go to those daytimers like Binky or Bubbly." I know what bunking is and I know who she's talking about but what does she mean?

Answer: Daytimers were or are daytime clubs. They were created for people who couldn't get out late at night.

Question: Does anyone have the script for "Bend it like Beckham"? (or a link for it)

Answer: http://www.script-o-rama.com/

Question: Was the lesbian relationship in the film between two characters removed because the director did not want to offend her fellow Indians? After all, homosexuality is a taboo subject in Indian culture.

Answer: Since one of the Indian characters in the film (Tony) is gay, and the possibility of a lesbian relationship is a fairly major subplot, I doubt Chadra was worried about people being offended. Some stories just don't fit in and get dropped.

Question: Does any one know what religion Jess and her family are?

Answer: They are orthodox Sikhs.

Question: What does it mean to "bend it"?? I'm assuming this is a soccer term...?

Answer: It means that the ball curves when in flight - typically after a free kick is taken. During a free-kick, the defenders will form a wall between the kicker and the goal. So instead of kicking the ball in a straight line, spin is added so that, hopefully, it curves around the side of the wall.

Question: Is there some reason that we are considently seeing planes fly over her house? Is that supposed to symbolize something?

Answer: I doubt it; it's probably because the film is set in the Borough of Hounslow, which is in the flight paths of many London airports, including Heathrow.

Question: Is "Becks" at the end of the movie really David Beckham, or just a look-alike?

Answer: It is Andy Harmer. (http://www.davidbeckham-lookalike.com/)

Question: During (or after) the wedding, why is the cameraman being beaten up?

Answer: The first reason is because he caught those two kissing in the bathroom and it would ruin the girl's reputation. The second reason is because as the director says on the dvd, "there is always a fight at an indian wedding".

Question: Why is the word "Packy" insulting to Jess?

Answer: May only be a UK thing, but it's a racist term (short for Pakistani), which is applied by some people to anyone non-white, irrespective of where in the world they actually come from.