Bend it like Gurinder Chadha

Journalists are not supposed to disclose their feelings about whether they have liked or disliked a theatrical performance immediately after seeing it on press night but instead allow their reviews to express their opinions.

But I bent the rules last Thursday after seeing Gurinder Chadha's musical, Bend It Like Beckham , at the Phoenix Theatre in Charing Cross Road. I gave Gurinder, the director whom I have known a long time, a kiss on both cheeks, while I shook her husband and co-writer, Paul Mayeda Berges, by the hand.

Back in 2002, Gurinder had a huge hit with the film, which made stars of Keira Knightley, Parminder Nagra and Archie Panjabi.

I think she has got another big hit with the musical, which follows the storyline in the film version but is actually quite different.

As everyone knows the story is about Jess (Jasminder), a Punjabi girl who has the talent to be a great footballer and bend the ball in the air in the manner of David Beckham. But her parents, Mr and Mrs Bhamra, ban her from playing football, partly because running around in the sun will make her darker and ruin her marriage prospects. In the end, however, it all ends happily with the parents giving in.

The musical, like the film, is set in 2001. The tale is located in Southall, with plenty of product placements in the form of posters for Sagoo Shoes, Punjab Quality Fabrics, Deepak Accountants and Madhu's catering.

What Gurinder has produced is an earthy Punjabi musical, full of vim and vigour - and Bollyood dancing.

The musical suggests that the multicultural Britain in which Jess lives, is a much fairer one than the country in which her father, freshly arrived as an immigrant from Nairobi, could not pursue his dream of playing as a spin bowler for local clubs. I know that the character of Mr Bhamra, who ultimately sides with his daughter, was inspired by Gurinder's late father.

It also helps that Natalie Dew, the young actress cast as Jess, does not resemble a Bollywood starlet but has a certain innocence and vulnerability. My colleague from The Daily Telegraph days, Quentin Letts, who was sitting near me, looked very glum. But appearances can be deceptive. In the Daily Mail, his review had the headline, "An end-end joy, the girl done great!"

I turned to The Daily Telegraph which carried a half page review, "A pitch-perfect musical in a class of its own," and awarded the show the maximum five stars.

Tail spin

There was a time when Indian and Pakistani women going to the horse races at Royal Ascot were reluctant to wear hats with a salwar-kameez or a sari, regarding it as a cultural imposition, but no longer.

What I noticed this year is that an increasing number of Indian and Pakistani men are taking the trouble to adopt the elaborate dress code of tails - the extra long jackets - along with a waistcoat.

Sir Anwar Pervez, 80, the founder chairman of Bestway, a multi-billion pound company with interests in grocery retail, property, banking and cement, invites 800 customers and friends to Royal Ascot every year.

He was immaculately dressed in tails, as always.

So, too, were senior Bestway directors, including his son, Dawood. But for Dawood, wearing tails was like going back to school. This is because he was educated at Eton College (David Cameron's old school), where tails are part of the uniform.

Sir Anwar wants his guests to have food, fun - and a flutter on the races.

I noticed a Sikh jumping up and down and cheering on a horse which ultimately came second in the King Edward VII Stakes at 3.05pm, the second race of the day.

Then, I realised the reason for his enthusiasm.

Horse No. 5, owned by Lady Bamford, was called "Mr Singh".

Chemical bond

The Royal Society of Chemistry last week gave a working lunch for Cipla chairman Dr Yusuf Hamied to thank him for the £8,00,000 he has given the society to develop programmes to improve the teaching of chemistry in India.

"Chemistry runs in my blood," enthused Hamied, who had the good fortune to study chemistry in Cambridge under one of the great chemists of his era.

This was Lord Alexander Todd, who won the Nobel Prize in 1957.

Hamied, who likes to crack jokes, made everyone forget the serious chemistry when he recalled a limerick about Lord Todd at a lunch hosted by the Indian Journalists' Association at the Bombay Brasserie for Prof. Sir Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, president-elect of the Royal Society.

It went: "Doesn't it strike you as odd,/That a commonplace fellow like Todd,/Should spell, if you please,/His name with two 'd's,/When one is sufficient for God."

Whose chair?

This is a message for the very rich in India: you have bought a mansion in London but are not quite sure how to decorate it tastefully.

According to a friend, Russell Cassleton Elliott, who represents a number of fine art dealers such as Anthony Outred in Pimlico, the super rich employ scouts to discover the best money can buy.

It seems to me the ideal place for scouts to begin their hunt is an exhibition in London, held in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, called "Masterpiece". Here, under one giant tent, are stalls offering everything from exquisite paintings to jewellery, sculpture and furniture.

Anthony Outred, for example, has on sale a Japanese red lacquer storage coffer (for keeping kimonos); an 11th century black Basalt stele of Vishnu; and a 17th century Indo-Portuguese cabinet.

Taking me around Masterpiece and pointing out highlights, Russell drew my attention to "a rare 19th century silver throne chair" for sale at £95,000.

But no one, including the dealers, Amir Mohtashemi, has been able to identify the coat of arms.

Destination UK

Should wealthy families in India send their children to boarding schools in England, a practice which is apparently being revived by some parents?

Sumanjit Chaudhry has flown over from Delhi to attend a lunch at Christ's, his old Cambridge College, and, more importantly, to return to his school - Malvern College.

The school, now a co-educational establishment located in the spa town famous for its mineral water, was founded in 1865 and hence celebrating its 150th anniversary.

"My father sent me to school in England because he thought this would be the best way to get to Oxbridge," explains Sumanjit.

But he is not sure whether this is a good idea for modern India.

"India is being Indianised," explained Sumanjit. "More and more of the leaders don't even speak English."

Tittle tattle

One of the greatest injustices of recent decades has been perpetrated on the Chagossians who were expelled from their paradise homes in the Indian Ocean by the British to make way for the US air force base on the island of Diego Garcia.

The plight of the Chagossians has been forgotten until now - the legal battle being waged by the Chagossians in the Supreme Court received a great deal of publicity.

Could this be because their lawyer happens to be the glamorous Amal Clooney, wife of Hollywood actor George Clooney?