My Son the Fanatic (1997)

Director:

Udayan Prasad

Writers:

Hanif Kureishi (short story)
Hanif Kureishi (written by)

Release Date:

7 January 1998 (France)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Plot:

Pakistani taxi-driver Parvez and prostitute Bettina find themselves trapped in the middle when Islamic fundamentalists decide to clean up their local town.

Plot Keywords:

Prostitute | Pakistani | Taxi | Taxi Driver | Islam

Awards:

1 win & 5 nominations

Cast

Om Puri	...	Parvez
Rachel Griffiths	...	Bettina / Sandra
Akbar Kurtha	...	Farid
Stellan Skarsgård	...	Schitz
Gopi Desai	...	Minoo
Harish Patel	...	Fizzy
Sarah-Jane Potts	...	Madeline Fingerhut (as Sarah Jane Potts)
Judi Jones	...	Mrs. Fingerhut
Geoffrey Bateman	...	Chief Inspector Fingerhut
Bernard Wrigley	...	Drunk man
Moya Brady	...	Druggy prostitute
Badi Uzzaman	...	Man in mosque
Andy Devine	...	Comedian
Shiv Grewal	...	Waiter
Omar Salimi	...	Rashid
Bhasker Patel	...	Maulvi
Dev Sagoo	...	Taxi controller
Rowena King	...	Margot
Olwen May	...	Prostitute
Alison Burrows	...	Prostitute
Parvez Qadir	...	Acolyte
Shekhar Bassi	...	Acolyte
Balraj Singh Somal	...	Driver
Rez Kempton	...	Zaf

Directed by
Udayan Prasad

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Hanif Kureishi		short story
Hanif Kureishi		written by

Produced by
Chris Curling	....	producer
George Faber	....	executive producer
Anita Overland	....	line producer

Original Music by
Stephen Warbeck

Cinematography by
Alan Almond		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
David Gamble

Casting by
Simone Ireland
Vanessa Pereira

Production Design by
Grenville Horner

Art Direction by
Colin Blaymires
Sara Kane

Costume Design by
Mary-Jane Reyner

Makeup Department
Marese Langan	....	hair assistant (as Marise Langan)
Marese Langan	....	makeup artist (as Marise Langan)
Claire Smith	....	hair assistant
Claire Smith	....	makeup artist
Penny Smith	....	makeup designer

Production Management
Alistair Hopkins	....	post-production supervisor
Phil Robertson	....	production manager (as Philip Robertson)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Michael Elliott	....	second assistant director (as Mike Elliott)
Nick Laws	....	first assistant director
John Withers	....	third assistant director

Art Department
Antonia Birk	....	art department assistant
Andy Ludford	....	props master
Les Pullan	....	carpenter (as Les Pullen)
Adrian Pullen	....	painter
Brian Sayce	....	dressing props
Dominic Smithers	....	production buyer
Kevin Waite	....	construction manager
Ross Wilson	....	stand-by props

Sound Department
Nick Adams	....	supervising sound editor
Albert Bailey	....	sound recordist
Gordon Brown	....	adr editor
Anne Dodsworth	....	sound maintenance
Tim Hands	....	dialogue editor
Dick Philip	....	boom operator
Imogen Pollard	....	foley editor
Adrian Rhodes	....	sound re-recording mixer
Sam Southwick	....	sound effects editor
Paul Wrightson	....	assistant sound editor

Special Effects by
Steve Breheney	....	special effects
Dougie Robson	....	special effects
Ian Rowley	....	special effects

Stunts
Clive Curtis	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
John Bremer	....	focus puller
Richard Davies	....	grip
Harry Herrington	....	stand-by rigger
Steve Langley	....	best boy
Geoff Lathom	....	generator operator
Damon Randall	....	camera trainee
Peter Rooney	....	electrician
Joth Shakerley	....	still photographer
Camillo Spath	....	focus puller: second unit
Alan Stoyles	....	stand-by rigger
Steven Swannell	....	gaffer (as Steve Swannell)

Casting Department
Aisha Wazir	....	crowd casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Graham Meetho	....	wardrobe assistant (as Graham Meethoo)
Sandra Milman	....	costume supervisor
Micky Webb	....	wardrobe truck (as Mickey Webb)

Editorial Department
Kate Buckland	....	first assistant editor
Colin Coull	....	grader
Anna Price	....	script editor
Sylvia Wheeler	....	negative cutter

Music Department
Iain Ballamy	....	musician
B.K. Chandrashekhar	....	musician
Paul Clarvis	....	musician
Charlie Gillett	....	music consultant
Isobel Griffiths	....	orchestral contractor
Stuart Hall	....	musician
Steve Parr	....	music mixer
Steve Parr	....	music recordist
John Parricelli	....	musician
Martin Robertson	....	musician
Ralph Salmins	....	musician
Huw Warren	....	musician

Transportation Department
Frank B. Craven	....	transportation captain
Darren Nye	....	wardrobe driver

Other crew
Jo Barker	....	production secretary
Pippa Best	....	assistant to producer
Carn Burton	....	location assistant
Julian Dowson	....	floor runner
Geraldine East	....	legal services: Marriot Harrison
Hilary Foster	....	floor runner
Jim Hajicosta	....	production accountant
Michael Harm	....	location liaison
Ann Lynch	....	production coordinator
Undine Marshfield	....	unit publicist
Clive Noy	....	low loader operator
Behzad Oliadonighi	....	floor runner
Clive Osborne	....	accounting assistant
Anna Price	....	script editor
Mohsan Qureshi	....	floor runner (as Mohsan A. Qureshi)
Yaseen Rahman	....	researcher
Suk Sahota	....	production runner
Andy Stebbing	....	production assistant
Mark Stephenson	....	location manager
Jeremy Tattershall	....	floor runner
Sam Taylor	....	assistant location manager
Emma Thomas	....	script supervisor
Melissa Traub	....	floor runner
Mariam Vossough	....	trainee: FT2
Joan Washington	....	dialogue coach
Ian Wilson	....	conforming assistant
Jennifer Woods	....	floor runner (as Jen Woods)

Production Companies

• Arts Council of England (as The Arts Council of England)
• BBC Films
• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
• Canal+
• Image International
• UGC DA International
• Zephyr Films

Distributors

• Atalanta Filmes (Portugal)
• Cinema Mondo (Finland)
• Feature Film (UK)
• Miramax Films (1999) (USA)
• Paris Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2008) (Australia) (DVD)
• United King Films (Israel)

Special Effects

• Emergency House Special Effects

Other Companies

• A1 Taxis  action vehicles
• Ciné Image  titles and opticals (as Cine Image)
• Cowan/Symes & Associates  publicity (as Cowan Symes)
• De Lane Lea Sound Centre  post-production (as De Lane Lea)
• Film Finances  completion guarantee
• GT Caterers  catering (G.T. Caterers)
• Home & Away Ltd.  facilities vehicles (as Home and Away)
• Hyperactive  lightworks
• Lee Lighting  lighting (as Lee Lighting)
• RHH/Albert G. Ruben Insurance Services  insurance (as RHH Ruben)
• Sapex Scripts  post-production script services
• Sylvia Wheeler Film Services  negative cutting (uncredited)

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated R for sexuality, language and a scene of drug use

Runtime:

Finland:88 min | UK:87 min

Country:

UK | France

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:MA (TV rating) | Iceland:12 | Finland:K-16 | Portugal:M/16 | UK:15 | USA:R

Company:

Arts Council of England

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Siskel & Ebert: Episode dated 3 July 1999" (1999)

A kind immigrant taxi driver who is platonic friends with a prostitute and whose son becomes a religious fundamentalist - ingredients combined with Om Puri's acting to make a worthwhile film

I was pleasantly surprised when I just saw "My Son the Fanatic" (I write this as the video rewinds!). I'm quite averse to watching gratuitous violence and listening to obscenities, and I looked askance at the cover jacket of this video at my public library, thinking it may be akin to films like "East is East", "Sammy and Rosie", and "My Beautiful Laundrette". Like those films, this one explores English lower middle class South Asian immigrants, but I found "My Son the Fanatic" to be much more palatable - and in fact endearing and more interesting - than the others.

The story is of Parvez (played by Om Puri), a Pakistani who has immigrated to England 25 or 30 years ago. He is a taxi driver and is very proud of his son, Farid (Akbar Kurtha), who appears to be in his mid-20s. The film opens with Parvez, his wife Minoo (Gopi Desai), and Farid all meeting the family of Madelaine (Sarah-Jane Potts), Farid's girlfriend. Madelaine's father is chief of police, and Parvez is enthusiastic for the marriage presumably because the young couple love each other, but also, it seems, because of the status of the chief inspector.

Parvez is a hard-working, kind, and friendly man. Some of his customers are prostitutes, and he honorably befriends one, Bettina (Rachel Griffiths), maintaining a respectful and supportive platonic relationship.

Life is turned upside down when Farid abandons his engagement and school when religious fundamentalism beckons him. This forms the framework for the climax and resolution of the film.

Om Puri, consistent with his reputation, puts in an excellent and believable performance of a parent trying to provide a good life for his family and looking to harness qualities from both his traditional and adopted cultures. Though she seems to be stuck at home, Minoo is more dimensional than other S.Asian mothers are often portrayed to be. I think more could have been done to have developed the son's character, and Bettina had a radiance, charm, and optimism that made it hard to believe her to be a prostitute.

"My Son the Fanatic" is a film that I enjoyed seeing. It's neither uplifting nor depressing, but the story is interesting and believable, and Om Puri's credible acting is a delight to see.