East Is East (1999)

In early 1970s England, a Pakistani father finds the authority he has previously maintained challenged by his increasingly Anglicized children.

Director:

Damien O'Donnell

Writers:

Ayub Khan-Din (play), Ayub Khan-Din (screenplay)

Stars:

Om Puri, Linda Bassett, Jordan Routledge

Nominated for 4 BAFTA Film Awards. Another 16 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Om Puri	...	George Khan
Linda Bassett	...	Ella Khan
Jordan Routledge	...	Sajid Khan
Archie Panjabi	...	Meenah Khan
Emil Marwa	...	Maneer Khan
Chris Bisson	...	Saleem Khan
Jimi Mistry	...	Tariq Khan
Raji James	...	Abdul Khan
Ian Aspinall	...	Nazir Khan
Lesley Nicol	...	Auntie Annie
Emma Rydal	...	Stella Moorhouse
Ruth Jones	...	Peggy
Ben Keaton	...	Priest
Kriss Dosanjh	...	Poppa Khalid
John Bardon	...	Mr. Moorhouse

Storyline

In 1971 Salford fish-and-chip shop owner George Khan expects his family to follow his strict Pakistani Muslim ways. But his children, with an English mother and having been born and brought up in Britain, increasingly see themselves as British and start to reject their father's rules on dress, food, religion, and living in general.

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Plot Keywords:

pakistani | muslim | england | 1970s | mixed marriage | 

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Taglines:

This holiday weekend, America is heading 'East'!

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Atalanta Filmes (Portugal)

Country:

UK

Language:

English Urdu

Release Date:

2 June 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Kelet az Kelet

Filming Locations:

Manchester, Greater Manchester, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

£1,900,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£435,627 (United Kingdom), 7 November 1999, Limited Release

Opening Weekend USA:

$53,569, 16 April 2000, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$4,170,647, 10 September 2000

Company Credits

Production Co:

FilmFour,British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC),Assassin Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Bradford "shopping" scene was in fact filmed in Southall, Middlesex some 204 miles away!

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Goofs

On the rooftops, modern metal gas vents are seen in place of the ceramic chimney pots that would have been in use at the time.

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Quotes

Meenah Khan: Did you get a load of those two?
[meaning the Shahs' daughters]
Meenah Khan: The one with the teeth has got a mustache like Dad's!
Maneer Khan: Tariq's looks like Quasimodo.

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Crazy Credits

Special thanks to ... and all the residents of Openshaw.

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Connections

References Pakeezah (1972)

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Soundtracks

Chalo dildar chalo
from "Pakeezah" (1971)
Licensed courtesy of The Grammophone Company of India Ltd.

User Reviews

A GREAT LITTLE GEM

Excellent film of interracial family, traditions versus the contemporary and chartering somewhere in the middle ground. I was somewhat dubious about the way EAST IS EAST was touted as a comedy, seemingly about horny teenagers and adolescent rebellion against parental authority. I thought, Oh Lord, the Americans have a lock on this type of flick, and now the British want in, too. Then, I saw Om Puri's name as the lead. I have been a longtime fan of this amazing actor, and thought, well it's worth a look.

Wow! What a captivating, interesting and at times, humorous film. I found it unpretentious and unflinching, and marvelously human, which is where the humor rested. The mingling of cultures, and those becoming an amalgamation of the two, lead to uproarious clashes sometimes. The wishes, well in this case, the demands of the draconian father for his children, and the reality in which they live clearly head for confrontation. The screenplay by Ayub Khan-Din is a great slice of life; it's certainly wasn't hard to tell that he might have culled some of the notions included from life experience. It's not meant to be exacting, as some have criticized. No more so, than Laura Ingalls Wilder's "LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE" was meant to be a strictly historical factoid on pioneering life in the early western US. It's meant as a slice of it, of one persons vision or interpretation.

EAST IS EAST is extraordinary, a marvel to watch, and one that simply gets better with each viewing. Don't miss this one. Highly recommended.