20 years ago, Bend It Like Beckham changed how millions of girls saw themselves

This is a column by Shireen Ahmed, who writes opinion for CBC Sports. For more information about CBC's Opinion section, please see the FAQ. 

"What family will want a daughter-in-law who can run around kicking football all day but can't make round chapatis?" — Mrs. Bhamra. (This column contains spoilers, but if you haven't yet seen this film watch it immediately.)

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Bend It Like Beckham, one of the most impactful films of all time in my view, turns 20 years old today. It forever changed the discourse on Brown girls and sport, and South Asian representation on the big screen and behind the camera.

While we are in an era that has dark-skinned, South Asian lead actresses in some of the most popular series on television (e.g. season two of Bridgerton on Netflix), this iconic line from the fictional Mrs. Bhamra is as poignant and timely as many of the other topics covered in the seminal film. Mrs.Bhamra is one of the delightful characters that filmmaker Gurinder Chadha brought to life with this beautiful and important story, in which so many young girls saw — and still see — themselves reflected in the movie.

bend it like beckham came out 20 years ago tomorrow. iconic perfect film <a href="https://t.co/sFRNlYHIKF">pic.twitter.com/sFRNlYHIKF</a>

Two decades ago Bend It Like Beckham told us the story of Jesminder "Jess" Bhamra, a Manchester United-loving girl from a traditional Sikh family who plays soccer for fun in the local park and then is asked to join a girls' team. As the movie unfolds, she falls in love with her coach, Joe, which leads to tension with her teammate and friend, Juliette "Jules" Paxton.

It intertwines issues of inter-racial relationships and power dynamics, and of course features the growth of a