East Is East Review

While films such as My Beautiful Laundrette, Bhaji On The Beach and Wild West, chronicled the British Asian experience and gained critical plaudits, none of them captured the popular imagination. East Is East, on the other hand, was a masterful culture clash comedy that balanced humour and pathos; it not only won awards but the hearts of the multiplex audience as well, to become one of FilmFour's most successful films.

Set in early 1970s Salford, it centres on George Khan (Puri), the architect of his family's dilemma. The Moslem chip shop owner married Ella (Bassett), an English woman, and fathered seven children ranging from the devout Maneer (Marwa) to the wayward Tariq (Mistry). But the family swerves precariously between Bowie and the dowry until George decides to take charge. Disowning a son who refuses an arranged marriage, he decides that Tariq and his brother Abdul (James) will marry, sight unseen, the twin daughters of a Bradford businessman.