"The real star is Chandeep Uppal, discovered in a Midlands school, not a trained actress, bursting with energy and life. Her portrayal of Meena gives the film its heart." The Wolf IOFILM "A sweet chapter in the life of a young girl battling to identify with her roots and environment, although it never reaches the heights that Bend It Like Beckham achieves." Urban Cinefile Critics URBAN CINEFILE "There's nothing for us to buy into here, and impatience sets in pretty quick. On a fundamental level, it's hard to understand just how Syal hopes for us to identify with her protagonist." Ian Waldron-Mantgani UK CRITIC "ANITA AND ME is a perfect example of how to make a coming-of-age film, as each character is well-developed without seeming to rely on stereotypes and caricature. Credit some spot-on casting for a huge reason why the film works, with an especially ideal performance by Chandeep Uppal as Meena." "Those who enjoyed MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING should definitely seek this gem out, as its portrayal of an Indian family is just as rich and knowingly humorous. Funny, thoughtful, and in the end, quite touching." Vince Leo QUIPSTERS MOVIE REVIEWS "The acting is very good, particularly Uppal, who also handles the voice-over very well. There’s good support too, especially from Kathy Burke, who steals the film with a short, under-stated burst of classy acting in a key scene, but also from Sanjeev Bhaskhar and other familiar TV faces. In short, Anita & Me may not be as flat-out enjoyable as Bend It Like Beckham, but it’s worth seeing and generates enough laughs to qualify as a decent comedy. The soundtrack is pretty good, too." Matthew Turner VIEWLONDON

"As a film made for a wide audience, "Anita & Me" succeeds handsomely. If it never becomes more than the sum of its parts, those parts still make for a highly enjoyable experience." Simon Wardell BBCi "Here, the formidably multi-talented Meera Syal has adapted her bestselling autobiographical novel from 1996 for the screen, playing a supporting role and with a co-producer credit. It is the good-natured story of Meena (Chandeep Uppal), a young girl from a first-generation Indian family in the Black Country in 1972, dreaming and moping and reading Jackie magazine." Peter Bradshaw THE GUARDIAN "Anita And Me doesn't have the polish or energy of Bend It Like Beckham, yet it's still a competent and sometimes amusing outsider's account of provincial female adolescence." FILMFOUR.COM "Meera Syal, actress, writer and one of the most influential forces for change in the British attitude towards Asian culture - she is part of the Goodness Gracious Me comedy team, wrote the script for Bhaji On The Beach and the book of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Bombay Dreams - is not banging a drum for multiracial harmony. She uses humour, because that's the way she works. Scratch the surface of Anita And Me, which originated as Syal's first novel, and you'll find a rites-of-passage story of teenage self discovery." The Wolf IOFILM "The film shares with Bend It Like Beckham a continuous hubble-bubble of jollity, escape from parental constraints and a mail-order parcel of sitcom stereotypes both Indian and Anglo-Saxon." Alexander Walker EVENING STANDARD "The two best performances come from Ayesha Dharker and Sanjeev Bhaskar as the heroine's mother and father." "The audience for this kind of film has been shown with the success of Goodness Gracious Me on TV, and East Is East and Bend It Like Beckham in the cinema." Christopher Tookey DAILY MAIL

At A Glance Why, oh why do people make useless comparisons, especially when it comes to film. By that I don't mean your every day run of the mill comparisons, but useless ones that try to convince you that films are so alike you just have to go and see them. Useless comparisons such as "Anita & Me and "Bend It Like Beckham". Gushing statements like, 'If you liked "Bend It Like Beckham" you'll love "Anita & Me". What a load of bollocks [as the British would say]. Does that mean because you like eating cows you'll love eating horses. How bloody stupid can you get. And just in case you're dumber than I am, yes they really do eat horses! I get really hopping mad sometimes when it comes to reviewing film, after all, there is so much crap flying around at times you really do start to wonder. I know I do. Thats not being unkind, neither is it being disrespectful it just a fact that everyone wants to build their particular product up, they want it to do well readers. They want bums on seats and dollars in the piggy bank. So, to "Anita & Me", a sweet tale of growing up, of friendship, girlie fun, the pressures of expectation and conforming, all at an age of awakening. Let me say that the only comparison that should be made between "Anita & Me" and "Bend It Like Beckham" is that both have [as they say in the colonies] a bunch of coloured folk, living in the UK, as the central characters. Both films are galaxies apart and I fear that comparing them with each other will lead to great disappointment for viewers. "Anita & Me" has a far wider social focus than "Bend It Like Beckham" and is aimed at a much younger audience too. Set in the small village of Tollington there is a wonderful kaleidoscope of characters constantly filtering in and out of "Anita & Me" and, if I may be so bold as to break my own golden rule and make a small concession to a comparison here, they are zany, wonderful characters indeed and far more imposing on the story-line than that other film. Menna [Chandeep Uppal] is a delightful young girl who never presents herself as being anything other than a twelve year old moving into adolesence, testing boundaries, searching for answers while trying to meet her parents expectations through a good education. Sound familiar? That's Meena, just an everyday young girl growing up in the world, with one exception, her parents are Indians who have moved to England with the express desire of giving her a better life. While Meena is becoming more like the locals, her parents are trapped in a cultural time warp. They still hold dear all those grass roots values they brought with them from the old country, the old way of doing things. The cultural clash, the racial hatred, the social structure of the UK in that period is an integral part of the film and it all blends well around Meenas struggle to fit in with both cultures. Adapted from Meera Syals 'Betty Trask' prize winning novel "Anita And Me", the film version recreates the theme of Syals book, "I wrote the book as a homage to my own generation, the first generation to be born and grow up in Britian," she explains, "life was painful and funny and joyful. The story is mainly fiction, but the setting is autobiographical and some of the characters are amalgams of people I knew, particularly the girls I wanted to emulate." It took Syal and Paul Raphael three years to complete the screenplay and the effort was worth it, the film is a little gem, just like those zany, crazy characters I mentioned before. People like, local shopkeeper Mrs Ormerod [Lyn Redgrave] with her 'Coronation Street' look, the local Minister the Reverand "Uncle" Alan [Mark Williams] who is at heart a hippie, Hairy Neddy [Max Beesley] the villages aspiring rock star and Deirdre Rutter [Kathy Burke] who plays Anitas mother and lady who, though quite sluttish, is in fact a woman who knows what she wants, a revolutionary feminist before her time. Add to this Meenas vibrant, colorful, cultural background which is forever reinforced by both her parents and her remarkable relatives, blend this in with a sort of girls own adventure and you have a hint of what is in-store for you when you see "Anita & Me". As Meera Syal [Auntie Shaila] explained, "I wanted to capture a part of English life that is gone. For the children, the first generation growing up here, the whole home based social life was Indian, but outside the house you were completely different, switching accents and persona to be like your friends." And any final thoughts? "We live in an increasingly shrinking world, made up of nations who come from everywhere. This is a story about all of us, and how we adapt." May I add that it is a great little story. A most enjoyable experience. The Story Meena Kumar is twelve years old, lives in the mining village of Tollington and faces all the challenges normal girls do when growing up. Except everything about Meena Kumars life is far from normal. For a start, her family is of Indian descent and they are the only coloured people in the village. Then there is the big problem of her parents and their obsession with Meenas education and her desires to do what normal girls do her age. Like hanging out with girlfriends, eating fish fingers and the big one, Meena wants to be a writer when she grows up. Mr & Mrs Kumar are horrified by the thought that their daughter is slowly slipping away from her ancestral roots. They want her to attend a posh school, to make something out of her life. Then Meena meets Anita. Anita may only be 14 but she's already worldly wise, especially when it comes to hooking the local lads. Life changes for Meena when Anita allows her to join her all girl gang. Things are going swimmingly until, some time later when Meena overhears Anita slagging off about the coloured people. Meena is once again on her own. The Verdict "Its one of those straight up front films which is colorful, funny, satisfying and very believable. "Anita & Me" is perfect for a girls time out or for bonding mothers and daughters. Hang on there, why should the girls have all the fun! Come-on guys, latch on to to your favourite girls arm and make it a great day out. Heck, you may even get a free lunch if you play your cards right. If not, make every post a winner and foot the bill yourself. Movie and a dinner? Made all the better if the movie just happens to be "Anita & Me". Recommended viewing." The Cast & Crew

Sanjeev Bhaskar Ayesha Dharker Chandeep Uppal Anna Brewster Kathy Burke Omid Djalili Alex Freeborn Lynn Redgrave Zohra Sehgal Meera Syal Christine Tremarco Mark Williams Kabir Bedi Max Beesley Lucy Pargeter Claire Downes Emily Churchill Georgia Patrick Anne-Marie Francis Ahmed Iqbal Alina Iqbal Rajinder Kaur Lyndsey Haluszczak Jo Taylor Meegan Jones Jonathan Carter Timothy March Perry Fitzpatrick

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Mr Kumar Mrs Kumar Meena Kumar Anita Rutter Mrs Rutter Uncle Amman Sam Lowbridge Mrs Ormerod Nanima Auntie Shaila Sandy The Reverend 'Uncle' Alan Yeti Hairy Neddy Brenda Teacher Karen Tracey Rutter Mrs Lowbridge Kaka Pinky Baby Sherrie Sally Teenage girl JoKarl Kevin Ray

From the novel "Anita And Me" by Meera Syal Directed by Metin Hüseyin Screenplay written by Meera Syal Original Music by Nitin Sawhney Cinematography by Cinders Forshaw Film Editing by Annie Kocur Casting by Jina Jay Production Design by Caroline Hanania Art Direction by Andrew Munro Set Decoration by Trisha Edwards Costume Design by Susannah Buxton Rated M15+ [AUST] Run Time 97 minutes Copyright 2003 - Hoyts Distribution - All Rights Reserved Copyright 2003 - Impact Internet Services - All Rights Reserved