"I just think that financiers are very cautious."
Gurinder Chadha revealed that she struggles to attract funding for her new films.
She said: “I’m sad to say that if you have people of colour as the lead in a movie, it automatically becomes less commercial as far as financiers are concerned.”
The Bend It Like Beckham director believed investors were “cautious” to support her work, which often explores the experiences of Asian communities and starred Asian actors.
Her new film Christmas Karma, inspired by Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, stars Kunal Nayyar as Scrooge.
Gurinder also warned that the industry would “never move the dial” if investors did not back a more diverse range of films.
She said: “People talk about diversity…but in practice, I don’t think it’s where I would have liked to have seen it by this time.”
Her 2002 hit Bend It Like Beckham grossed £60 million on a production budget of £3.5 million.
But despite its success, she said investors still lacked the confidence to back her.
On BBC Radio London, Gurinder said:
“It’s all about money.
“I actually think people want to see a complete mix of films… I just think that financiers are very cautious.
“It’s something I don’t understand, to be very honest with you and I wish it wasn’t the case.”
The British Film Institute (BFI) said representation in UK films has “long been unequal” but its funding targets for film projects are making “improvements in those stats”.
The BFI added: “To help address this historic imbalance and the long-standing barriers for Black and Global Majority people, equity, diversity and inclusion is one of the three core principles which underpins our National Lottery funding strategy.”
It said that of the 18 films the BFI funds per year, 44% of directors awarded production funding for features in 2023/24 identifying as Black and Global Majority – against a target of 40% for London and 30% outside of London.
The BFI added that the figures for writers (33%) and producers (9%) “fall short of the target”.
Following Bend It Like Beckham, Gurinder Chadha enjoyed success with the likes of Viceroy’s House and Blinded By The Light.
After Christmas Karma is released in 2025, she hopes people will “feel differently”.
The modern-day adaptation of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol also stars Hugh Bonneville and Eva Longoria.
Gurinder added: “It’s concerned with all the things I’m concerned with; identity, Britishness, who we are as a nation, where we’re going as a nation, all the things Bend it Like Beckham was about.
“It’s my ‘Bend it Like Santa’ film.”
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