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:

A comedy with attitude about finding your way in a home with no latitude.

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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:

East Is East

Filming Locations:

Manchester, Greater Manchester, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

GBP1,900,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$53,569, 16 April 2000

Gross USA:

$4,177,818

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$4,177,818

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 cinema that the family visit in Bradford was filmed at what used to be The Metro in Ashton-Under-Lyne, Manchester.

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Goofs

When the children run away from home, they are seen boarding a green Salford City Transport bus. Salford City buses were incorporated into the South-East Lancashire North-East Cheshire Passenger Transport Authority (Selnec) in 1968, and the bus would have been orange and white with a Selnec logo.

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Quotes

[Moorhouse and Earnest are distributing leaflets of Enoch Powell as George passes by]
Mr. Moorhouse: 'Ere, look, see? There's one of'em now. Got his bags packed for his way home, heh.
Earnest Moorhouse: [Respectfully] Salam Alekom, Mr. Khan.
Mr. Moorhouse: [Slaps Earnest over the head] Shut up, you little bastard!

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Crazy Credits

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

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Connections

Featured in At the Movies: American Beauty/Blue Streak/For Love of the Game (1999)

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Soundtracks

Chaudvin Ka chand Ho Ya Aaftaab Ho
(uncredited)
Sung by Mohammad Rafi in the film clip from Chaudhvin Ka Chand (1960)

User Reviews

He Loved His Parker

"East is East" tried to cover too many issues and genres in the one film. In the end I don't think the script was strong enough to tie all this together, and the film suffered because of it. Having said that I believe it was a strong performance from a talented cast.

In it's favour there were some hilarious scenes throughout the movie, and an insight into the Pakistani families and communities in England. Not the typical English stereotypes usually portrayed by Hollywood, nor the typical London lifestyle so often seen in movies today, which was a refreshing change.

Oh Yeah, this confirmed how dangerous and damaging religion has the potential to be. Definitely worth a look.