Special edition, from house of Beckhams

Parbina Rashid

WHO could have imagined David Beckham to be as appealing in an apiarist’s gear as he did in a Manchester United jersey? Like Victoria Beckham says, ‘I wasn’t into football then, I am not into football now, but just love to watch him play’, we too love to watch him play — play himself, that is!

As he goes about collecting honey to cleaning the kitchen shelves spotless with as much precision as he manoeuvred the ball in the field, he gets our undivided attention.

Academy Award-winning director Fisher Stevens, in his four-part docu-series ‘Beckham’, presents the legendary footballer in a complete package (well, almost) — the young David kicking the ball with his father, his friendless school days, training sessions at Manchester United, his association with Sir Alex Ferguson and a whirlpool romance with Spice Girl Victoria, his worldwide stardom and the public harassment following the infamous 1998 World Cup red card.

Fisher rewinds his life, a decade after his retirement, by asking him and Victoria questions, all the while remaining off-camera himself. Both Beckham and Victoria look relaxed and their revelations sound unscripted. On many occasions, Fisher pans the camera too close to Beckham’s face, capturing the raw emotions. As for Posh Spice, as Victoria is known, this must be the most candid interview she has ever done. She comes out as strong, honest and delightful. For Victoria, being part of the docu-series has been a therapeutic experience.

As for Fisher, the journey has been a revelation: ‘As I started to explore, and get deeper into David and his journey, I realised I’m making a love story. Not just about David and Victoria, but about David and football.’

And what a love story! It comes in bits and pieces with archival footage, talking heads that include Beckham’s parents Ted and Sandra, Sir Alex, Beckham’s Manchester United and Real Madrid teammates and managers — Cantona, Ronaldo, Figo, Capello, Scholes, among others. Beckham’s teammate Gary Neville occupies a prominent place. Even the receptionist at Manchester United and the paparazzi brothers who trailed Beckham’s every move are given enough space.

The footballer’s meteoric rise may be the core of the series, but another takeaway is the family value of the Beckham clan. As a young football star, he would feign toothache to hide his homesickness. In fact, it was his bond with his family that drew Victoria to him. In turn, it’s endearing to see how Sandra stands up for her son. She publically puts Glenn Hoddle on her hit-list after the then England manager questions her son’s professionalism.

His relationship with Sir Alex and United is also built on family values. Beckham calls the legendary coach a father figure. When the genuine affection that they felt for each other fizzles out with the entry of Victoria into his life, his rebellious act of shaving off his hair just to spite ‘The Boss’, as he called him, and his transformation into a celebrity superstar , Beckham doesn’t shy away from admitting that it hurt him then, and still does. Family means everything to the Beckhams.

A particularly delightful scene is when Beckham talks about his working class upbringing and justifies his ‘likings for nice things’, and Victoria talks about her ‘working class’ family. Beckham forces her to name the car her family drove to drop her at school. “A Rolls Royce,” she says after a moment of hesitation and Beckham just smiles.

This is the easy-breezy tone Fisher maintains throughout despite all the high voltage on-field drama and emotional ups and downs. As a director who has also acted in films, he knows where to leave things for a lasting impact.

However, the way he skirts around Beckham’s infidelity issue which marred the couple’s relationship during his stint with Real Madrid is a bit disappointing. Fisher focuses merely on the impact of the tabloid stories rather than addressing it directly. Another grey area is his total silence on the 2002 and 2006 World Cups. Beckham led the England team on both occasions. Maybe, Fisher, despite his claim of ‘going all out’ with his subject , decided to tread carefully as the series is produced by Beckham’s own production company.