Christmas Karma: Gurinder Chadha and Anushka Shah on how they created the musical

Director Gurinder Chadha, who has made films like Bend It Like Beckham and Bride and Prejudice, and producer Anushka Shah recount how a chance encounter and shared vision helped them bring Christmas Karma — a heart-warming, diaspora-rooted Christmas musical — to life, culminating in a surprising performance by Priyanka Chopra.

How it began

Chadha explains that she grew up celebrating Christmas in England and always loved holiday films such as It’s a Wonderful Life. She wanted to craft a film that captured that warmth, but set against the backdrop of migration, identity and belonging. She adapted her script loosely from a modern take on Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, reimagining “Scrooge” as a refugee who turns to money and status after facing hostility — a metaphor for immigrant struggles.

During the festival circuit in Cannes, she happened to meet Anushka Shah, founder of a socially driven studio. It began casually: a selfie, a friendly chat. Shah recalls asking, “Tell me what you do,” which led to Chadha sending her the script — and the collaboration began. As Shah put it, “Never be afraid to fan girl… you never know where you’ll land up.”

For Chadha, the meeting felt meant to be. She describes the moment as “serendipitous and karma,” a perfect alignment of art, intent and opportunity.

Women collaboration

Working with Shah — a young, socially conscious producer — was “nothing but a pleasure,” Chadha says. For both, the film offered a rare opportunity: a British-Indian woman director and an Indian woman producer coming together with shared experiences and political sensibilities. Such synergy translated into creative harmony on set, minimizing conflicts and fostering unity: everyone involved knew the purpose and supported it.

Shah considers this collaboration vital not just for Christmas Karma but for the broader film world. She believes women producers remain few, and hopes their work encourages more women to back each other. For her, this film isn’t just entertainment — it represents solidarity, empowerment, and a voice for underrepresented creators.

Getting Priyanka on board

One of the most talked-about aspects of the film is the Hindi version of a classic holiday song. After securing permission from the song’s estate to do a “Bollywood version,” Chadha reached out to Priyanka Chopra. Initially Chopra reportedly said, “I’m not a singer anymore,” but Chadha persisted, suggesting it would be fun and fitting for the end credits.

Chadha credits Chopra’s performance to friendship and trust. On the day of recording, with other women from their creative circle present, Chopra agreed — and delivered a heartfelt rendition that the team describes as magical. In Chadha’s words, “It was in the spirit of friendship … Priyanka came forward and did that.” The result transformed what began as a modest film into a musical with star-power and emotional resonance.

Themes and legacy

At its core, Christmas Karma interweaves festive warmth with heavier themes: displacement, exile, identity and the immigrant experience. Chadha draws from her own family’s journey across continents — from ancestral lands to Africa and eventually Britain — to infuse the film with authenticity and history. She aims not only to honour her parents’ legacy but to give hope to future generations: “I want to make films that give a nod to the colonial legacy … but at the same time celebrate who we are.”

Shah adds that through Civic Studios they intend to keep supporting socially relevant and underrepresented voices — whether in diaspora stories or climate media — and this film is just the beginning.

The collaboration between Chadha and Shah, and the unexpected yet vital involvement of Chopra, shows what can happen when artists support each other across continents and backgrounds. Christmas Karma is more than a holiday film — it’s a testament to community, cinema, and women’s solidarity.

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