East Is East (1999 film)

East Is East is a 1999 British

East Is East is based on Khan-Din's 1996 play of the same name, which opened at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre in October 1996 and Royal Court Theatre in November 1996. The title derives from the 1889 Rudyard Kipling poem "The Ballad of East and West", of which the opening line reads: "Oh East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet".

The film was critically acclaimed, winning the

Plot

In 1971, George Khan is a

While George is obsessed with the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War (primarily out of concern for his first family living near the conflict zone) and arranging marriages for his children, the children themselves, born and brought up in Britain, increasingly see themselves as British and reject Pakistani dress, food, religion and culture. After George disowns Nazir for running out on his arranged marriage, he immediately begins making plans to have another of his children married to maintain his image.

On a trip to Bradford, George is introduced to Mr. Shah, a fellow Pakistani Muslim who wishes to marry off his two unattractive daughters. George arranges in secret for his second and third sons, Abdul and Tariq, to marry them, despite Ella's misgivings, a conversation that the youngest child, Sajid, overhears. During a quarrel, Sajid reveals the arranged marriages to his brothers; Tariq, the most rebellious son who is in a relationship with Stella Moorhouse (whose grandfather is a supporter of Enoch Powell and repatriation), flies into a rage and defiles the wedding garments George had bought. The most obedient son, Maneer, is caught by George trying to tidy the mess up and beaten when he refuses to tell George who was responsible; Ella intervenes and is also beaten. Tariq travels to Eccles and tracks down Nazir, now a hat designer and in a homosexual relationship, who returns to confront George for his actions. However, upon seeing Ella's and Maneer's bruises, he becomes frightened his appearance will anger George further and make the situation worse for his siblings and his mother. Ella urges him to go, so he obeys her wish and flees before George catches sight of him. Tariq and George get in a heated argument over the arranged marriages. Whilst Tariq insists that he is British, George refutes this, stating that the Islamic community is more accepting. Tariq reluctantly agrees to go along with the marriage, but defiantly states that he will follow his father's example of also having a British second wife.

Mr. and Mrs. Shah arrive with their daughters to meet George's family. Ella maintains her composure despite Mrs. Shah's condescending and rude attitude, but things come to a head when a scuffle ensues over a sculpture of a vagina that Saleem had made as a project for art college, and he accidentally drops it into Mrs. Shah's lap. Angered, Mrs. Shah insults George's entire family and is ejected from the house by Ella along with her husband and daughters. Enraged, George attacks Ella but is stopped by Abdul and the other children long enough for him to see how his actions have turned his entire family against him, and leaves the household in shame to seek solace in his shop.

In the aftermath, George and Ella make amends over tea while the kids play in the street.

Cast

Reception

The film received positive reviews, scoring 78% on Rotten Tomatoes with twenty-five positive and seven negative reviews.^[2]

Box office

The film was a major box office success. It grossed $30,438,635 (equivalent to $56,000,000 in 2023) worldwide,^[1] against a production budget of £1.9 million^[3] ($3 million), earning over ten times its budget.^[1]

In the United Kingdom, the film grossed over £10 million or $16,000,000 (equivalent to $29,000,000 in 2023) at the box office.^[4] In Europe, it sold 4,119,909 tickets at the box office.^[5] In the United States and Canada, the film grossed $4,170,647 (equivalent to $7,095,508 adjusted for inflation in 2021).^[1]

Awards and nominations

The film won the

Actor Puri was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role.

The director,

Sequel

A sequel, West Is West, premiered at the BFI London Film Festival in the autumn of 2010, and was on general UK release from February 2011.

References