Behind the scenes of Midland Billy Elliot; NEW FILM HOPES TO FOLLOW SUCCESS OF BLOCKBUSTER.Byline: CAROLINE WHEELER THE producers of British blockbuster Billy Elliot are filming a new movie written by Goodness Gracious Me star Meera Syal Meera Syal MBE (born Feroza Syal 27 June 1961 in Essington, near Wolverhampton, England) is a British comedienne, writer, playwright, singer, journalist and actress. Her Punjabi-born parents came to England from New Delhi, and she has risen to prominence as one of the most UK's . Anita and Me Anita and Me is Meera Syal's debut novel, and was first published in 1996. It is a semi-autobiographical novel which has won the Betty Trask Award. The story revolves around Meena (the "me" of the title), a young Punjabi girl, and her relationship with the white Anita - based on a book of the same name by the Walsall-born actress - is now being filmed on location in Nottingham and will star celebrated British actress and playwright Kathy Burke Kathy Burke (born June 13 1964) is an English actress and theatre director. Born at The Royal Free Hospital in London to Irish immigrant parents, Burke attended the Maria Fidelis RC Convent School. along with Lynn Redgrave Lynn Rachel Redgrave, OBE (born 8 March, 1943) is two-time Academy Award-nominated and Golden Globe-winning English/American actress born into the famous Redgrave acting family. and Max Beesley Maxton Gig Beesley, Jr. (born 15 January, 1971) is an English actor and musician, whose stage name is Max Beesley. Early life Beesley was born to Maxton Beesley, Sr., a professional jazz drummer, and a jazz singer mother, who sang under the stage name Chris Marlowe. . The movie will also star several lesser known actors from Birmingham - 15-year-old Anna Brewster (Anita) and 13-year-old Chandeep Uppal (Meena) - who make their acting debuts in the film which is due out in autumn next year. The film tells the story of 12-year-old Meena - who is based on a young Meera - and her life in the fictitious Black Country village of Tollington in 1972. She is the daughter of Indian parents who have moved to England to give her a better life. Her idyllic adolescence, surrounded by eccentric relatives and friends, is interrupted by the arrival in Tollington of Anita Rutter and her dysfunctional family dysfunctional family Psychology A family with multiple 'internal'–eg sibling rivalries, parent-child– conflicts, domestic violence, mental illness, single parenthood, or 'external'–eg alcohol or drug abuse, extramarital affairs, gambling, . At 14, the blonde, aloof, beautiful, outrageous and sassy sas·sy 1 adj. sas·si·er, sas·si·est 1. Rude and disrespectful; impudent. 2. Lively and spirited; jaunty. 3. Stylish; chic: a sassy little hat. Anita is everything Meena thinks she wants to be and together they embark on a colourful journey through a confusing time - puberty. Producer Paul Raphael's company, Starfield Productions, was responsible for making the hit flick Billy Elliot. He told the Sunday Mercury that although the Brummie teenagers are relative newcomers to showbiz, they give a first-class performance. 'We relied on Jina Jay, who did the casting for Billy Elliot and found Jamie Bell, to recruit the actors and actresses for Anita and Me. 'We must have seen thousands of youngsters in the Midlands but she eventually found about 16 teenagers to play the main characters in the film - including the principal parts of Anita and Meena. 'Since filming started three weeks ago the cast, including the youngsters, have been really great and have mixed in well together.' Mr Raphael described the film as 'East is East meets Billy Elliot' and said he hopes it will enjoy the same kind of acclaim as the top Tyneside drama - which told the tale of a young boy who preferred ballet to boxing. He said he was attracted to the film by what he described as its 'witty and original script,' and decided to shoot the movie in the East Midlands after receiving help and financial support from the East Midlands Media Initiative. Meera, 37, who will also star in Anita and Me and who wrote the screenplay Bhaji bhaji Noun pl bhaji or bhajis an Indian savoury made of chopped vegetables mixed in a spiced batter and deep-fried [Hindi] on the Beach, was unavailable for comment. caroline_wheeler@mrn.co.uk CAPTION(S): BIG NAMES... Chandeep Uppal receives make-up and Chandeep with Max Beesley and Kathy Burke BY SAM BAGNALL |
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