London, September 15, 2004
PTI

Non Resident Indian director of Bend it like Beckham, Gurinder Chadha, has been crowned as woman of the year



Dr Kartar Lalvani, managing director of Vitabiotics given the Innovation Award at the GG2 Leadership
and Diversity Awards at the Grosvenor House Hotel here.

Chadha's next film Bride and Prejudice, featuring Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai in the lead role is scheduled for world premier on October 8. She is also casting Rai in her next movie, I Dream of Jeannie, produced by Sony studios.

Speaking on the occasion, Chadha said she made the film Bend it like Beckham as a tribute to her dad and it turned out to be the most successful film, grossing about 75 million dollars.

Dr Lalvani was chosen for the Innovation Award as he has been responsible for developing a new treatment for HIV and AIDS. He set up Vitabiotics in 1970 and founded the company on a philosophy of developing products which would help the body in its natural fight against decay and disease, it was stated.