Gurinder Chadha

Born: Kenya

The director is best known for the surprise international hit Bend It Like Beckham.

The movie, which was made for a modest £2m and grossed £32m in America by word of mouth, told the story of a British Indian girl who wants to play football.

It is so successfull that a French version is being made with Gallic World Cup hero Zinedine Zidane replacing David Beckham as the football hero.

Chadha moved with her Indian family from Kenya to London in the 60's and worked as a radio news reporter for the BBC.

She started directing short films, and TV documentaries, and in 1993 she directed her first feature, Bhaji at the Beach.

Chadha followed her relative success with What's Cooking?, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, and then helmed Bend It Like Beckham.

Recent work includes Bride and Prejudice, a Bollywood adaptation of Jane Austen's classic romantic novel Pride and Prejudice.