<Tr> <Th> Box office </Th> <Td> $76.6 million </Td> </Tr> <P> Bend It Like Beckham is a 2002 British - Indian family romantic comedy sports film produced, written and directed by Gurinder Chadha, and starring Parminder Nagra, Keira Knightley, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Anupam Kher, Shaznay Lewis and Archie Panjabi . </P> <P> The film's title refers to the football player David Beckham, and his skill at scoring from free kicks by curling the ball past a wall of defenders . It follows the 18 - year - old daughter of Punjabi Sikhs in London . She is infatuated with football but her parents have forbidden her to play because she is a girl . She joins a local women's team, which makes its way to the top of the league . </P> <P> Bend It Like Beckham was released theatrically on 12 April 2002 by Redbus Film Distribution, and on DVD and VHS on 18 November 2002 by Warner Home Video . The film surprised critics and was met with mostly positive reviews . It earned over $76 million on a $6 million budget . A stage musical version opened at London's Phoenix Theatre on 24 June 2015 . </P>

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