In what sense is Mr. Bhamra in Bend It Like Beckham a "melancholic migrant"?

[mayassa_takrouni]

Mr. Bhamra embodies the characteristics of a "melancholic migrant" through his deep attachment to his homeland and his struggle to reconcile his past with his present in the UK. Sara Ahmed describes melancholia as a condition resulting from unresolved attachment to what has been lost. Mr. Bhamra’s longing for India and his disappointment with the cultural changes around him signify his melancholic state.
Ahmed notes that melancholia can be understood as a form of attachment to loss, where the migrant's identity is entwined with memories of the homeland. Mr. Bhamra's nostalgic references to Indian culture and his discontent with his daughter Jess’s soccer aspirations illustrate this attachment. He expresses a sense of loss regarding the values and traditions he holds dear, creating a barrier between him and his daughter's desire for independence.
Moreover, his melancholic state is further exacerbated by the pressure to uphold familial and cultural expectations. Indeed, for the melancholic migrant, happiness is often tied to the fulfillment of cultural duties that may no longer resonate in a new context. Mr. Bhamra's struggle reflects the weight of these expectations, highlighting how his emotional turmoil is rooted in the complexities of migration and the longing for a past that feels increasingly distant.

I believe many immigrant parents can relate to Mr. Bhamra's experience, which is certainly true for my own parents. They grapple with their attachment to their homeland and past while navigating a new world that they are still trying to acclimate to, even over 25 years after immigrating to Canada.
Not to get too personal, but for my sister and me, many of our "challenges" with our parents stem from the contrasts between life in Tunisia and life here in Canada. For them, Tunisia is home, and they deeply miss it. As second-generation immigrants, we find ourselves navigating a reality where neither Tunisia nor Canada truly feels like home. Don’t get me wrong; we love our culture and our roots, and we take immense pride in sharing where we originally come from. However, it doesn’t change the fact that we are regarded as strangers in the West because we are not white, and as "children from the outside"—or as they say in Arabic, "أولاد / بنات الخارج"—in Tunisia, because we were born not only outside of Tunisia but outside of the East.