“Bend it Like Beckham” is a charade of mistaken identities, misinformation and some truly excellent footwork. Jess Bhamra dreams of playing soccer like her Manchester United hero, David Beckham. Balancing the roles of dutiful daughter with local soccer dynamo, she restricts her passion to the public parks. But when the opportunity arises to play on her local team, the Hounslow Harriers, Jess can’t resist it. She claims she’s busy with a summer job and escapes to the pitch.

The basic structure of director / screenwriter Gurinder Chadha’s latest film seems almost formulaic. Jess’ parents are caring and long-suffering, and the movie revolves around the conflict between Jess’ wishes and their dreams for her. Add to the mix her sister, Pinky — vain, superficial and engaged to a glib but racially acceptable charmer. Jess’ coach, Joe, is a soccer player himself but is sidelined by injury he has turned to coaching the women Hounslow Harriers. A complex character with thwarted dreams and a father who pushed him too hard, Irish Joe is a predictable match for Jess’ own ambitions and growing pains. Like the planes that fly above Hounslow into nearby Heathrow, Jess and Joe are symbols of the divergent cultures that take root in this soccer crazy film — seemingly ignorant of one another until collision results in catastrophe.

However; enter Jules, a white English girl with a mother who’s convinced her daughter’s an over-muscular lesbian. Ironically, what Paula (her mother) wants is presented in Pinky Bhamra, a young woman obsessed with boyfriends and shopping. Chanda’s subtle presentation is one of the film’s highlights, and Paula, played wonderfully by Juliet Stevenson, is the movie’s driving comedic force. Instead of seeing Jules as the gorgeous white girl with the perfect family, we recognize two fumbling parents struggling to cope with a strong, talented and sometimes rebellious daughter. This contrast is what lifts “Bend it Like Beckham” from simple teenage fare to complex film.

The friendship between Jules and Jess is emblematic of the team spirit of the Hounslow Harriers, and it is this that Chanda executes with precision. In the locker room, we see strong, hard-working soccer players with toned bodies, alternatively arguing, cheering and laughing as they wind down after long practices. On the pitch they run laps, execute drills and practice head shots. The players are white, black and Indian. In one of the film’s bizarrely entertaining moments, the Harriers help Jess try to figure out how to put her best sari back on after a game to get ready for her sister’s wedding. The film’s cinematography is self-consciously arty, but nevertheless the juxtaposition of clashing codes succeeds. We simply see a group of dirty and sweaty soccer players rushing to help a teammate.

In contrast to stereotypical Bollywood themes, Chandha is tempted to overdose on big issues. In the course of two hours the clash of disparate cultures, the role of parents in modern society, race, homosexuality, women in sports, cultural assimilation, marriage and sexual politics are tackled. Despite this hectic feel, there are some glimpses of cinematic brilliance.In one sequence, a gay Indian man watches the Harriers play with his male friends. Several of them comment on the breast size of one of the players, and for the first time, we see the Harriers through other eyes: As girls playing soccer, not soccer players who just happen to be girls. This insight is complicated by the sexual orientation of the Indian observer; unable to come out, he must see the Harriers as sexual objects. It is an interesting intersection of viewpoints and values that the movie succeeds in pulling off.

While some of the prejudices and predicaments are resolved by the end of the film, others are not. “Bend it Like Beckham” transcends the genre of teenage cinema by playing with these problems and not simplifying them. Ambiguities are what make the formulaic aspects palatable, and one of those ambiguities is Beckham himself.Throughout, he watches silently from the sidelines of Jess’ room in the form of posters and articles tacked to her wall. He is the soccer hero that started it all for her, and as she runs into friendships, family dilemmas and defense lines, his quiet gaze from above her bed is almost ominous. What does it mean for a female Indian soccer player?

The answer lies somewhere in the film.