this is bbc news — the headlines... moscow says it's pulling its troops out of the ukrainian city of kherson. it's the only provincial capital russia has managed to capture since the start of its invasion. but over the past weeks ukraine has been conducting a counter—offensive to push the occupiers out of the area. presidentjoe biden has described tuesday's mid—term elections as a good day for democracy and that voters had spoken clearly about their concerns. republicans are expected to take control of the house of representatives but mr biden said a giant red wave did not happen as had been predicted. the iranian football authorities says they're planning disciplinary action after a beach soccer player made an apparent gesture

of solidarity with ongoing anti—government protests during a game in dubai. said piramoun was seen mimicking cutting his hair — a symbol of the demonstrations sparked by the death of mahsa amini. now on bbc news, talking movies. i come here mainly to walk the dog in the morning and in the afternoon, and then also, it's a great place to just clear your thoughts. i've come to london to meet gurinder chadha, a pioneering figure in the film industry, the first british asian woman to direct mainstream features in the uk. films that have won major awards and become international hits.

in her movies, some eight feature films in all, from her best—known bend it like beckham... no—one can cross a ball or bend it like beckham. ..to her more recent musical drama blinded by the light... stay away from the girls! ..she has brought the screen to life with authentic stories using appealing actors, music... # she's a lady! ..and humour to portray british asian life. the asian experience in the uk has long been herfocus. born in nairobi, gurinder chadha came to the uk as a young child and grew up in southall in west london, home to a big asian community. i'm always in southall, still got the best kebabs anywhere in london, and i've got relatives there, and of course the sikh temples are there, and i do, you know, it's where i grew up, really, it's where all of my films are shot. she began her career as a broadcastjournalist. in 1989 she made the first of several documentaries

called i'm british but... — it showed the new generation of young asians in the uk. i see myself as british — maybe, well, welsh, isuppose. i've always wanted to meet gurinder chadha. her movies have made me laugh and cry. as a person, she isjust like herfilms — warm, open, funny, optimistic and generous. she invited me into her london home and we spent the better part of a day delving into her films and discussing what makes her tick as a filmmaker. # move on up... hello and welcome to talking movies, i'm tom brook. today i'm in london, in soho — still to some extent the heart of the uk film and tv industry, to bring you an interview with british asian filmmaker gurinder chadha. too often in the past, her accomplishments have been unsung, but she's been a major force in modern british cinema. in fact, she's the most prolific female filmmaker in the uk today.

this year marks the 20th anniversary of bend it like beckham, her most successful film. it became a real international hit, and it has the distinction of being the only western—made film ever to be shown on north korean television. i'm joining a girls�* team. huh? bend it like beckham is the story ofjess, an 18—year—old played by parminder nagra, from a traditional punjabi family... aloo gobi. ..who wants to play football, much to the dismay of her parents. that's it! no more football. i want you to learn full punjabi dinner. meat and vegetarian. but dad! jules, portrayed by keira knightley... hi! ..plays for a local women's amateur football team and takes note ofjess�*s talent and befriends her. should come along and have a trial. trial? you think i'm good enough? as this upbeat comedy progresses, it deals with a host of issues. indian girls aren't supposed to play football.

some connected to race, prejudice, class, gender and sexuality. being a lesbian is not that big a deal. oh, no! in many ways, it was a film ahead of its time. this has taken me away from everything i know. bend it like beckham is also the highest grossing football film in history. cut! gurinder, welcome to talking movies. i don't have to tell you it is the 20th anniversary of bend it like beckham, and people do view that movie that you made is really being a landmark picture. why do you think that is? what do people say to you about it? people are very effusive, full of affection for it, because it meant a lot of things to a lot of people for a lot of different reasons. my mum's never wanted me to play, you just can't take no for an answer. it's a sort of female empowerment movie, it has a gay element... i haven't told anyone. but you're indian! it is about race...

this isjess. ..it is about being part of a diaspora... jess? is that indian? it's reallyjesminder_ but only my mum calls me that. on lots of levels, i think it appealed to people and particularly to diasporas around the world. you know how hard it is for our children over here? in addition to that, it came outjust after 9/11 and i think the world was sort of in freefall. you know, people were sort of worried about how were people going to live together and be together, and then this innocent film comes along, inviting you into the home of a sort of british sikh family, you know? and you realise after a few laughs that actually, they're very similar to your own family. do you really want to be the one that everyone stares at, at every family do, because you married the english bloke? it is not a sort of hitting you on the head movie, it's a very subversive movie about racism and tolerance... i've never complained. ..and the effects of racism on one generation...

on the contrary, i vowed that i will never play again. ..and how one generation has to accept that, acknowledge that, but then find their own way. and if i can't tell- you what i want now, then i will never be happy whatever i do. _ and there's not a lot of films that do that! or were definitely not doing that at the time! i think it was a of fresh air. if all of the relatives can look like they're acting and playing natural and not smiling at the camera... and what for you was the spark that really got bend it like beckham going as a narrative in your mind? what happened was in britain, football or soccer, you know, was very much a male domain. it was very aggressive, it was associated with the right wing in terms of the national front and the use of the unionjack, you know, the british flag was sort of synonymous with the right. it was all "football hooliganism" as we called it,

always fights on the terraces. and then, ian wright, one of our black players, after an england match, ran onto the pitch with the union jack. and that was such an arresting image for me. i mean, in that one moment, things changed for me. and i saw a different britain on the tv. and i wanted to run with that. i wanted to run with a different britain, with my britain. it was time for my britain to come, to be seen. although it is about football and soccer, it's really more about the sort of social changes at the time. not only that, there was this real idea of girl power at the time, with the spice girls, and female empowerment was coming up. and i also wanted to be part of that. # my independence day...# you know, you have been able

to move forward in your career by being very determined and being very feisty. where does that come from? when i was about 16, at school, i had wanted to go to university and i actually wanted to study what we called "development economics" and geography at the time, because geography was my favourite subject. and i went to the careers office and said, this is what i want to do, i want to go to university, and she looked at me and said "mmm, don't you think "you should apply to secretarial college?" and i was like, why would i want to be a secretary? and she said, "the world needs good secretaries." and ijust... in that moment, with that careers teacher, ijust thought, you don't know me and you don't get me, and how dare you. i could not say any of that, and i did not know how to articulate any of that, but that was the fire in me that said, you have no expectation of me

and my ambition, and what i want, and i'm going to show you. and i think that was it. from that moment, i am never taking no for an answer. and i keep pushing and i still push, you know? i could have a much easier life if i just went to america and directed the scripts that i get sent, you know? but i keep pushing the envelope to represent, you know, represent people that look like me and represent ideas and values from, you know, a perspective that is different. you want a clean—shaven boy like your sister? or a sikh with a full beard and a turban? after that comment, right, you basically gave a filthy look to the camera and walk back. what does it say about the film industry when you look at bend it like beckham, that keira knightley went on to become a breakout star, but the other lead in the film, parminder nagra, didn't?

i think it says everything you need to know about our industry. you know, keira was bankable. sojerry bruckheimer cast her in the pirates of the caribbean series. pirate or not, this man saved my life. parminder did get some offers, john wells contacted me and asked me about her as a possible doctor in er, you know — so she immediately got the la break and joined the cast of er. so she had success too, but it's a shame that hollywood did not acknowledge that she could be a leading lady in the same way. and that is because asian leads are not seen as bankable, still to this day, i think that's true. what do you say, dad? don't play with your future. did you feel that with bend it like beckham, your father and your relationship with your father was somehow manifested in the film? that is probably the core

of the film, and if you're going to cry watching that film, you will cry because of that. make me proud. i had just lost my father, just before making the film, and now when i look back at the film, it's so emotional and it's made by somebody who is grieving. it is a film made in grief, you know? and i know that from my own, the way i've made films since. he just looks and then he... what i was exploring was exactly the pain that my father's generation had been through in order for me to be standing there at that moment, shooting a movie. she will only end up disappointed like me. my dad first came to britain, he had worked for barclays bank in kenya, and when he came to england in the 60s with a turban and a beard, he had said, you know, "i'm going to go to barclays", and he went to the barclays bank in southall and they absolutely laughed their heads off

when he went in and said, "do you honestly think we're ever going to have someone "who looks like you, with a beard and a turban, "work in our bank?" and they literally threw him out of the bank, and then he ended up cutting his hair and became a postman. when i was a teenager in nairobi, i was the best fast bowler in our school. and i took that story and made it about the east african cricket club in the movie. when i came to this country, nothing. i was not allowed to play in any of the teams, and these clubhouses made fun of my turban and sent me off packing. but that is the true story of what happened with my dad. and therefore at the very end, when finally she says i have got this opportunity, i want to go, and the dad makes his big speech. who suffered? me. you know, "i cannot hold you back. "that was my time, i suffered because i lived in fear." i don't want her to make the same mistakes that her

father made, of accepting life and accepting situations. "it is wrong for me to put that fear on you and you "have to go out and make your own life and follow your own opportunities." and that is hugely emotional because that is about healing racism. and that is about healing prejudice. because i have seen her playing, she is brilliant. you cannot stop your life if you live in an unfair world. you have to keep pushing forward. i don't think anyone has the right to stop her. you push forward not only for yourself but for everyone else. and that is why bend it like beckham is such an important film because it takes me and my community and my world and my britishness and my asian nurse and —— and my world and my britishness

and my asianness and everything into a massive sphere that has changed and influenced and been important to so many people around the world. over her 30—year career she has been a real powerhouse, making shorts, documentaries, tv programmes and tv series and, of course, memorable vibrant feature films. from bride and prejudice, a bollywood—style version of jane austen's pride and prejudice. only you could say you love me and insult me at the same time. to herfirst feature, bhaji on the beach in 1993. so what if she is pregnant, so what if the father is black? black!? which, with all its great characters i really loved. have a female fun time. it followed three generations of asian women on a day trip to blackpool. was that a bit intimidating at first? you did not have much experience as a feature film director, did you? everybody, i don't care who they are, will tell you their first film is a complete baptism by fire. it is a nightmare.

my films are always, from bhaji on, i always think about the community and moving the community forward while, at the same time, you know, i still have to protect my community. so i am always trying to include things for them and us, them and us, them and us, you know? and this all comes about from being one of the few asian women making films in britain today. that i am able to show these nuances and these cultural moments that go over a lot of people's heads. but they are of tremendous value to me and they are not necessarily considered by a lot of other people because they do not know. maybe in years to come, who knows. but at the moment, you know, while i am working i find that people do not always value what i do and ultimately, i guess, i am aiming towards changing our world

into being more tolerant and more understanding and more inclusive and more appreciative of the massive contribution of people who look and talk and feel different to you. it is interesting that you mention that, because your films do deal with racism and prejudice and during the time which you have been making films those problems have not gone away and people would say in some respects have gotten worse. so is there a limit, do you think, to what cinema can achieve in terms of changing people's minds? i also talk about gender and homosexuality and female empowerment. it is everything. and i think that things have changed. i think they are changing. during the shot, i am panning down on one camera... the success of my film and the fact that everyone is talking about 20 years later as a massive indication of how things are changing.

there is still an awfully long way to go but i am now seeing lots of credits of women and women of colour on—screen. and while there is always room for improvement i think it is important to acknowledge that we can make a change and we have made a change. how wedded are you to being part of british cinema? early in your career did you feel the pull of america, to take you to a new land where there would perhaps be bigger opportunities? when i had success in america i did get offered quite a lot of american movies but at that time i did not quite know how to relate to them and i met paul by then... your husband. i met paul my husband by then, yes. and then i decided, well, if i want to make a film in america why don't i make my own film? and with paul we wrote our movie which was a very british film about los angeles.

no—one knows it was me who made it. it is on every year on television, about four families in los angeles who celebrate thanksgiving over the weekend. she is the mommy, she's the daddy and i am the alcoholic cult—worshipping satanic stepmother. we're playing thanksgiving. the idea was that i wanted to make a film about the los angeles that i was seeing around me. not the one that was on the big screen. the rest will cook itself. for me, going to la i was blown away by the different communities there. why do you want to make the turkey taste like everything else we eat? and not really seeing them on—screen. and hence i took my values from britain to la and made what's cooking? moving to a more sobering reality. how did the pandemic affect you as a filmmaker and a storyteller? do you think it has changed you? for me the pandemic was a game—changer because it

made me sit back and really think about what is my purpose and why do i want to make films? and you better believe that whatever film you choose to make it should have some impact. mum, stop filming me. you always film me! before i was quite...| used to push myself a lot. post—lockdown i calmed down and i stopped being quite so...driven, if you you like. i said, i accepted actually, a lot more of what will happen will happen. and i think that was the lesson of lockdown because we were not really in control, so the lesson was to let go and let go of the stress of trying to compete or get your projects made to the point where you get really stressed and just accept that things will happen the way they are going to happen.

when you think about your work nowadays are you just as enthusiastic about making a film as you were when you did bend it like beckham 20 years ago? i have not changed. i am still incredibly motivated to push that envelope. that is how i see it. i am very keen to get back in the director's chair because i miss it. it is a bar is to keep trying to shift people's perceptions and to make people understand the vagaries of culture and understand the damage that racism and prejudice do. for me... and also female female empowerment. we're still not out the woods on that. so i am still very keen to make sure that my films have great female roles and that i show the world from my perspective.

because sadly it is still a very underrepresented world. when you think back on your life and career, what are you most proud of? i am most proud of the fact that i have made a difference to the lives of people. whether it is a very small thing with someone just appreciating it personally or in a bigger level. will you ever retire, do you think? i hope that i get carried off set. that i have keeled over going "cut! do it again," something like that. i do not plan to retire. i don't think you can when you are creative, you never retire. the fact that people still talk about my work as being relevant even though it was made a generation ago is gratifying because it means that i did move the dial a little bit, i moved that needle, i did make a change and i cannot stop.

i must keep going because that needle may have gone like that only to reach here. thank you for talking to talking movies. end lines of nessun dorma play. everybody cheers.

hello. let's take a look at the weather over the next ten days or so, and before we get on to the uk, let's take a look at the other side of the atlantic at this storm system you can see on the satellite image. this is tropical storm nicole, going to strengthen for a time into a hurricane, it is likely to push across florida, moving its way north across the eastern seaboard of the usa before heading across the atlantic towards the uk. now, some uncertainty about how this is going to feed into our weather into next week, but tropical storms like that can put more uncertainty into the computer—generated forecasts. but over the next few days, things are looking drierfor most diverse. staying pretty windy and exceptionally mild for this stage in november. so, we've got this weather front and this area of low pressure moving into the north west, that is going to bring some rain to parts of scotland at times. we've got high pressure to the south and in between this south—westerly airflow, that is importing exceptionally

mild there across our shores at the moment. so, for thursday, then, there is rain sitting across the western isles, the northern isles, parts of ireland as well. the rest of the uk largely dry, a few spots of drizzle around hills and coasts in the west, you'll certainly notice the strength of the breeze, though, gusts of 30 to a0 mph for most of us but touching closer to 60 mph in the far north—west, and just look at those temperatures, 16 or 17 degrees almost right across the map. it is going to be very mild again as we had three thursday night and on into friday. we still got weather fronts just waving across the far north of the uk, high pressured dominating further south, and look at these temperatures as we start friday morning. 15,16 degrees for some of us, possibly the warmest november night on record across parts of the uk. so, friday, then, starts very, very mild. quite a lot of cloud in general, the best of the sunshine will be for parts of eastern england, perhaps eastern scotland for a time, but we've got some rain still sitting on the far north—west. take a look at these temperatures for friday, probably the peak of this warmth, this november warm spell. 17 or 18 degrees possible. and as we move through friday and on into the weekend,

we've still got weather fronts trying to move that way in from the west this time, but as high pressure bills the near continent on the saturday looking drier for many of us. you can see a bit of rain for northern ireland, perhaps into western scotland at times. more sunshine across england and wales than we had seen of late, certainly lighter winds by this stage, too, so perhaps not quite as high as the temperatures on friday, but still 15 or 16 degrees after early morning fog clears away, should be some clearing blue skies for the afternoon. now, that theme continues into sunday, too, you can see whether fronts trying to move in here from the west, but as they bump into that area of high pressure, it looks like the high pressure is going to win out. mist and fog possible for sunday morning, that should clear away, so with lighter winds and sunny spells, looking dry for most areas, a pretty pleasant sort of day. top temperatures again well above average, between 13 and 16 degrees on sunday. through next week now, here is this area of low pressure which, the remnants of tropical storm nicole. nicole some computer models take it towards the bay of biscay, some little bit

further north towards the uk. it does look like through the week, though, low pressure does win out eventually, so we will see weather fronts and showers rotating around that area of low pressure. more of an atlantic influence to our weather through the course of next week, but you will really notice the drop in temperatures, so the mild air that is with us at the moment sticking around for the first part of the week but then a return to the blue colours and the atlantic influence of those westerly winds through the second half of next week. so, certainly a cooler theme as we look ahead towards next week. unsettled with rain around at times, and things often looking pretty breezy through the week, too. bye for now.

welcome to bbc news — i'm nuala mcgovern. our top stories. a major set back for russia in ukraine — it announces a retreat from kherson — the only major city its captured since the invasion. we have to try to piece together what is happening in the city that is, to all intents and purposes, cut off from the outside world. midterm mystery — control of the us congress remains in the balance — with votes still being counted. prominent iranian figures from the worlds of sport and film continue to show their support for anti—government protesters. and — high speed sale — a record price for the legendary car that had an even more legendary driver.