Gurinder Chadha to direct and produce Disney’s musical film on ‘dynamic’ Indian princess

Los Angeles, Dec 3

'Bend It Like Beckham' filmmaker Gurinder Chadha will be directing an original musical feature from Disney, inspired by a dynamic princess from Indian history.

The plot remains under wraps, but we hear that the project is under the umbrella of Sean Bailey, President of Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Production, reports Deadline'.

Lindy Goldstein ('The Nutcracker' and the 'Four Realms') is producing the film through her Lindy Goldstein Production banner.

Chadha has made several films and TV series in India with her company -- Bend It Films.

Chadha is a two-time BAFTA nominee for 'Bend It Like Beckham' and her first feature 'Bhaji on the Beach'.

Her next movie, 'What's Cooking', was the Opening Night Film of the 2000 Sundance Film Festival and was the first British script to be invited to the Sundance Institute's Writer's Lab. The film was voted joint Audience Award winner in the New York Film Critics' 2000 season.

'Bend It Like Beckham' was the highest-grossing British-financed and distributed film ever at the UK box office (at the time of release) and topped box office charts internationally, grossing more than $76M WW. The film received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Picture (Musical or Comedy), a BAFTA Award nomination for Best British Film, a European Film Academy nomination for Best Film, and a Writers Guild of America nomination for Best Original Screenplay.

Her other movies include 'Bride & Prejudice', a film that marries Jane Austen with Indian and Western musicals -- which was the first film ever to open at #1 in the UK and India on the same day; 'Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging', based on the international bestseller which was released worldwide by Paramount in 2008/2009; 'It's a Wonderful Afterlife', which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival before releasing internationally in 2010; and 'Viceroy's House', an epic drama on Indian independence and partition, starring Hugh Bonneville, Gillian Anderson, Manish Dayal and Huma Qureshi.

--IANS