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 |
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? Written by <jhailey@hotmail.com>
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.