East Is East (film)
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| East is East | |
|---|---|
| Image:East is East.jpg Promotional Poster | |
| Directed by | Damien O'Donnell |
| Written by | Ayub Khan-Din |
| Starring | Om Puri Linda Bassett Jordan Routledge |
| Music by | Deborah Mollison |
| Distributed by | Channel 4 Films (UK theatrical) Miramax (US theatrical) |
| Release date(s) | 1999 |
| Running time | 96 mins |
| Country | UK |
| Language | English/Urdu |
| Budget | £1.9m |
| IMDb profile | |
East is East is a BAFTA award-winning British comedy film released in 1999.
It is set in a mixed-race household with a Pakistani father and a British mother in Salford, in 1971. George Khan (played by Om Puri), the father, expects his family to follow his strict Muslim ways, but his children, who were born and raised in Britain, increasingly see themselves as British and reject their father's rules on dress, food, religion, and living in general.
East is East is based on the play of the same name by Ayub Khan-Din. It was directed by Damien O'Donnell.
Contents |
[edit] Title
The title East is East comes from the first line of the Rudyard Kipling Poem The Ballad Of East And West "Oh, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet..."
[edit] Synopsis
George Khan has been married to an English woman named Ella for 25 years, and has seven children with her. The trouble begins when Nazir, their first-born son (who it later becomes clear, is gay), bails out of marrying the Pakistani girl his father has chosen for him at the last minute, leading to a bitter estrangement. Then the youngest son Sajid is discovered to be uncircumcised: the boy is horrified at his father's plans to have the ceremonial surgery carried out, and tries to resist, but in vain. Meanwhile, marriage is still on George's mind, and he accepts an introduction to Mr. Shah, who is looking for good Pakistani bridegrooms for his two ridiculously ugly daughters. Despite having seen the daughters' photographs, George promises Mr. Shah that his second and third sons, Tariq and Abdul, will marry them. Sajid overhears George's plans and they are revealed when getting pressured by Meenah,Tariq and Saleem.
[edit] Cast
- Om Puri - George Khan
- Linda Bassett - Ella Khan
- Ian Aspinall - Nazir Khan
- Jimi Mistry - Tariq Khan
- Raji James - Abdul Khan
- Emil Marwa - Maneer Khan
- Chris Bisson - Saleem Khan
- Archie Panjabi - Meenah Khan
- Jordan Routledge - Sajid Khan
- Jessica Bowya* - Jessie Khan
[edit] International exhibition and responses
In the UK, East is East was remarkably successful for a low-budget comedy, grossing £10 million after only a £1.9 million budget.[1]
In the USA, the distributor, Miramax, used marketing that obscures the presence of Asian characters: the poster features the face of a blonde woman, with the Asian characters appearing only in small windows.
In France the film was retitled Fish and Chips.
[edit] Awards and nominations
The film won the Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film at the BAFTA Awards. The director, Damien O'Donnell, also received a British Independent Film Awards nomination for the film. [2]
[edit] External links
- East Is East at the Internet Movie Database*
- A quick chat with the writer - Ayub Khan-din
- Roger Ebert review
| Preceded by Elizabeth | Alexanda Korda Award for Best British Film 1999 | Succeeded by Billy Elliot |
it:East is East ja:ぼくの国、パパの国 sv:East is East
