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Hyewon Lee

In 2002, Bend It Like Beckham became a global sensation, inspiring countless teenage girls to chase their dreams on and off the football field. More than two decades later, director Gurinder Chadha has just announced that a sequel is in the works, with plans to release it in 2027 – right on time for the movie’s 25th anniversary and the next Fifa Women’s World Cup.

The film starred Parminder Nagra as Jess Bhamra, a British Indian teen who pursues her passion for football despite her parents’ opposition, alongside Keira Knightley as Jules Paxton. While Chadha is determined to get the original cast back together, Nagra has previously expressed hesitation in revisiting such a beloved movie.
Apart from Bend It Like Beckham, Nagra is also known for her roles in ER and DI Ray. Off screen, she married photographer John Stenson in 2009 after a seven-year relationship. The same year, the two welcomed their son, Kai David Singh Stenson, but ultimately parted ways in 2013.
Here’s what else to know about the actress behind Jess Bhamra.
She started theatre with no training

At the age of 16, Nagra’s introduction to the world of acting came not under the spotlight, but as an usher at a local theatre in Leicester, UK, where she was born. Later, her former drama teacher encouraged her to join Haithizi Productions, a theatre company in her hometown.
Nagra landed a role in the musical Nimai and ended up stepping in for the lead role when the actress dropped out. With no formal training, Nagra managed to capture the audience’s attention with her natural charisma and was recognised for her acting and singing abilities.
She is experienced in medical roles

Nagra has portrayed doctors in multiple storylines. Most notably, she appeared in the US medical series ER as Neela Rasgotra, an intern who grows into a respected member of the hospital team. During filming, Nagra advocated for her character’s story to focus on professional growth rather than a romantic interest.
“I said, I don’t think she should [be in a relationship], because the moment she’s in a relationship she’s defined by that relationship, as opposed to seeing her growing from an intern to a doctor,” she told Big Issue in 2022. In the end, Nagra added humorously, Neela still “got with virtually everybody”.
Beyond ER, Nagra continued to explore medical roles, including Maryam Afridi, a paediatric registrar, in ITV drama Maternal and an appearance as a doctor in the post-apocalyptic world of Bird Box.
DI Ray was one of her hardest jobs

In two seasons of DI Ray, set in Birmingham, UK, Nagra played the lead role of Detective Inspector Rachita Ray. While seemingly calm on the outside, Ray deals with both professional and personal challenges.
“This show is hard to get any distance from – the character is always with you,” she confessed in a 2024 interview with the Royal Television Society. “DI Ray is one of the hardest jobs I’ve ever had. On ER [with an ensemble cast], people were sharing the workload, and here I am in [virtually] every scene and she goes through the mill.”
She speaks up about representation

Nagra, who rose to fame playing a character struggling with her conservative family’s values, has spoken out about the challenges of being South Asian in the entertainment industry. As a young actress, she did not expect her ethnicity to shape her career, but quickly realised its impact was greater than expected.
She told Big Issue that “as the years went on I realised, this is actually a big deal, about being represented or seeing somebody that represents you, that looks like you, on a screen. But being constantly aware of that can be frustrating, because you don’t automatically want to be a spokesperson, or politicise every character you play.”
Although she said that on-screen representation is improving, she also noted that only a handful of her characters haven’t been centred around her ethnicity.


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Fame and celebrity

Get to know Bend It Like Beckham’s Parminder Nagra as its director announces the sequel

Get to know Bend It Like Beckham’s Parminder Nagra, who starred alongside Keira Knightley in the 2002 comedy. Photo: Handout

Jess (Parminder Nagra) is determined to play football against the wishes of her orthodox Sikh parents in the British comedy Bend It Like Beckham. Photo: AP Photo/Fox Searchlight Pictures

Parminder Nagra’s interest in acting began when she worked as an usher at a local theatre. Photo: @parmindernagra/Instagram

Parminder Nagra as Neela Rasgotra on ER. Photo: NBCU Photo Bank

In DI Ray, Parminder Nagra plays Detective Inspector Rachita Ray. Photo: @parmindernagra/Instagram

Parminder Nagra (far left) and the cast and crew of Bird Box (including Sandra Bullock) during a screening in Los Angeles, California in 2018. Photo: Getty Images for AFI

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Sofia Coppola and Romy Croquet Mars at Chanel’s haute couture autumn/winter 2025 show on July 8, in Paris, France. Photo: Getty Images

Director, screenwriter and movie producer Sofia Coppola (centre) poses with her daughters Romy Croquet Mars and Cosima Croquet Mars at Chanel’s haute couture autumn/winter 2025 collection show in Paris, on July 8. Photo: AFP

Romy Mars and Sofia Coppola were in Paris on July 8 for Chanel’s haute couture autumn/winter 2025 show. Photo: Getty Images

Romy Mars starred in a campaign for Marc Jacobs’ teenage diffusion line, Heaven by Marc Jacobs, in 2020. Photo: @themarcjacobs/Instagram

Romy Mars is carving out a career in music. Photo: @romymars/Instagram

Romy Mars’ mother is director Sofia Coppola. Photo: @romymars/Instagram

Sofia Coppola and Romy Mars attend the Marc Jacobs autumn 2020 runway show during New York Fashion Week in February 2020, in New York City. Photo: Getty Images for Marc Jacobs

Romy Mars lives in New York. Photo: @romymars/Instagram

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Tamara Ralph often shares photos of Bhanu Choudhrie and her family on her Instagram. Photo: @tamararalphprivee/Instagram

Bhanu Choudhrie and Tamara Ralph have been dating since 2020 and have two daughters. Photo: @tamararalphprivee/Instagram

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Bhanu Choudhrie with Tamara Ralph and their daughter, Haliya. Photo: @tamararalphprivee/Instagram

Who is Grace Bowers? The 19-year-old guitar prodigy, inspired by Slash and B.B. King, performed with Coldplay’s Chris Martin at the Grammys and was named ‘Nashville’s new guitar hero’ by Rolling Stone

Grace Bowers made her debut at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry on July 30, 2024 – her 18th birthday. Photo: @grace__bowers/Instagram

Grace Bowers performing with Coldplay’s Chris Martin at the 2025 Grammys. Photo: @grace__bowers/Instagram

Grace Bowers and Taylor Swift at the 2025 Grammys. Photo: @grace__bowers/Instagram

Grace Bowers performing with The All-American Rejects in May. Photo: @grace__bowers/Instagram

Grace Bowers with her red Gibson SG. Photo: @grace__bowers/Instagram

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Grace Bowers performing in Nashville with Calico Mantra’s Leonardo Faillace in June 2023. Photo: @grace__bowers/Instagram

Grace Bowers released her debut album, Wine on Venus, in August 2024. Photo: @grace__bowers/Instagram

Grace Bowers performing at her charity gala, Grace Bowers and Friends: A Night of Love, Life and Music, at the Brooklyn Bowl in June 2024. Photo: @grace_bowers/Instagram

Who is Ezra Franky, who plays Lucy Cook in Netflix’s Untamed? The indigenous singer-songwriter, actress and filmmaker hails from Vancouver – and she just released her first album, Acoustish

Who is Ezra Franky, who plays the Jane Doe in the Netflix drama murder mystery series Untamed? Photo: @hivarbyevar/Instagram

Ezra Franky has caught audiences’ attention with her performance in Netflix’s Untamed. Photo: @ezra.franky/Instagram

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Ezra Franky posting snaps from her time on Netflix’s Untamed. Photo: @ezra.franky/Instagram

Ezra Franky prepped and ready to play the Jane Doe in Untamed – her biggest on-screen role to date. Photo: @ezra.franky/Instagram

Meet Abby Elliott, who plays Jeremy Allen White’s sister Natalie on The Bear: the ex-SNL cast member is married to writer Bill Kennedy, and her father and grandfather are both comedians

Abby Elliott plays Natalie Berzatto, aka Sugar, on The Bear. Photo: @lilcutieforever/Instagram

Abby Elliott’s real-life pregnancy was written into the script for her character, Natalie, in The Bear. Photo: @thebearfx/Instagram

Abby Elliott shared an adorable old photo of her father, Chris Elliott, and herself for his birthday. Photo: @lilcutieforever/Instagram

Abby Elliott and her husband Bill Kennedy often appear at industry events together. Photo: @lilcutieforever/Instagram

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Abby Elliott shared a photo with Casey Wilson, Nasim Pedrad and Vanessa Bayer for the 50th anniversary of Saturday Night Live. Photo: @lilcutieforever/Instagram

Cast members of The Bear, with Abby Elliott on the left, in 2024. Photo: AFP

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Nagra starred alongside Keira Knightley in the popular 2002 comedy – but she’s previously expressed reluctance to return to the role


Nagra starred alongside Keira Knightley in the popular 2002 comedy – but she’s previously expressed reluctance to return to the role.


Get to know Bend It Like Beckham’s Parminder Nagra as its director announces the sequel

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Nagra starred alongside Keira Knightley in the popular 2002 comedy – but she’s previously expressed reluctance to return to the role

Nagra starred alongside Keira Knightley in the popular 2002 comedy – but she’s previously expressed reluctance to return to the role