Northern BoyBilly Elliot meets Bend It Like Beckham in this unforgettable debut about aiming high and defying expectationthe perfect uplifting read this year. Joyful, defiant and dazzling, this is the story of Rafi Aziz, a Northern boy dreaming of his name up in lights. It's 1981 in the suburbs of Blackburn, and as Rafi's mother reminds him daily, the family moved here from Pakistan to give him the best opportunities. But Rafi longs to follow his own path.