Chicken Tikka Masala (2005)

Jimi is surprised when his family announces an arranged wedding to Simran, especially as he is gay and has a boyfriend, Jack. The easy way out? No - he decides to arrange something a little unorthodox instead.

Director:

Harmage Singh Kalirai

Writers:

Rony Ghosh (story), Roopesh Parekh (script and screenplay)

Stars:

Chris Bisson, Saeed Jaffrey, Sally Bankes

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Chris Bisson	...	Jimi
Saeed Jaffrey	...	Chandra P Chopra
Sally Bankes	...	Vanessa
Peter Ash	...	Jack
Zohra Sehgal	...	Grandmother
Jamila Massey	...	Asha Chopra
Katy Clayton	...	Hannah
Sushil Chudasama	...	Ravi
Louisa Eyo	...	Marlene
Jinder Mahal	...	Simran (as Manjinder Mahal)
Shobu Kapoor	...	Minaxi Patel
Harish Patel	...	Harishbhai Patel
Dalu Solanki	...	Priest
Rony Ghosh	...	Mr. Shah
Vijayanti Uma Chauhan	...	Auntie

Storyline

Jimi, a doctor in Lancashire and the only son of loving Indian immigrants, is spineless. When his parents and grandmother arrange his marriage to a young woman from their home village, he hasn't the courage to tell them that he's already in love, with Jack, a man they think is his best friend. To queer the wedding, Jack's niece Hannah tells the bride-to-be that she's Jimi's daughter. Jimi's family swallows hard and decides to make the best of it by marrying Jimi to Hannah's mother, the blowzy, hard-drinking, foul-mouthed Vanessa. Jimi begs Vanessa to go through with it, so he can be with Jack. Is another resolution possible?

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Plot Keywords:

wedding | gay | large family | coming out to family | acceptance | 

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Taglines:

Are you ready for a HOT 'n' SPICY season?

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

First feature film for Peter Ash, who portrays Jack.

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Quotes

Vanessa: So who you marrying?
Jimi Chopra: Simran. We got engaged yesterday.
Vanessa: Oh, and me without a hat.

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Crazy Credits

"Special thanks... to all the souls, families and friends who put up with us for six weeks in Preston and elsewhere in the UK"

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Connections

References Good Neighbors (1975)

User Reviews

Funny film with a serious point

Just how exactly do gay Asians manage in a culture that generally refuses to even recognize the concept of homosexuality? For millions of gay Hindus and Muslims there seems little hope of ever leading a life that is accepted and endorsed by their otherwise very close knit families. This is the main point explored in Chicken Tikka Masala - presumably named after the Western spicy dish involving tender pieces of young chicken flesh! Jimmy is a typical young Asian brought up in Britain by traditional parents with the common narrow minded and selfish views on marriage and grandchildren. Like millions of others he is led into an arranged marriage that seems inescapable even though he is apparently completely gay and deeply involved with a very attractive young man with whom he lives. He knows that the truth should be told but fears for the consequences of that particularly so as his father appears to be terminally ill. And so he becomes embroiled in a web of deceit that becomes wider and wider as the plot develops.

The film is beautifully sensitive and not at all judgmental or patronizing to any group portrayed. The acting is generally excellent although it might seem a bit ham in places as the director tends to search for humor rather than letting it blossom naturally. There are no prizes for photography or script but the film is made entire by the wonderful sentiment expressed at the very end - a sentiment that all fathers across the world would do well to learn from.

Details

Official Sites:

Former official site for the film - DEFUNCT TLAReleasing.com - Official distributor's page for the film. [United States]

Country:

UK India

Language:

English Hindi

Release Date:

22 April 2005 (UK)

Also Known As:

PrzepisNAmilosc

Filming Locations:

England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

GBP1,200,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Medtia Group, Seven Spice Productions Limited, B2B Media

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1