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)

Thanks
Mark Dunford	....	special thanks

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:

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

Company:

Arts Council of England

Movie Connections:

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

characterizing the movie

This is a great film, however I must comment that I have found many foreign films listed as "comedy" or "humorous" when in fact they are poignant, disturbing and brilliant (thank you netflix and blockbuster). "No Man's Land" and "Happy Times" are fantastic movies that are incorrectly labeled as comedy, and "My Son the Fanatic" is regrettably categorized as comedy as well. The reality of each character's life is vivid and heart breaking. I felt so uncomfortable witnessing Parvez struggle with his peers, the German, his wife and son, and Bettina. Coupled with "My Beautiful Laundrette" you get a taste of immigrant life in Britain.