Go west young man

"EAST is East" was a cult and critical hit when it was first released in 1999. A British feature about the Khan family in 1970s Salford, the film considered the challenges of inter-racial domesticity with both humour and moments of gritty domestic violence. With its Pakistani father, English mother and their seven children, mixed-race and mixed-up, the Khans were familiar, yet their place on the British screen felt unique. "East is East" was rare for addressing the funny yet fractious nature of mixed-race communities, and the comedy within the tragedy of family life.


"West is West" is the long-anticipated sequel in a planned trilogy, which reunites most of the original cast. Written by Ayub Khan-Din, a British-Pakistani actor and playwright, the loosely autobiographical story begins four years on from the first film. Here we see the young Sajid, who spent "East is East" hiding under his parka hood, emerge as a cocky 15-year-old who plays truant and gives everyone the finger (a strong performance from newcomer Aqib Khan). The boy's father, George (Om Puri), decides he needs to learn his Pakistani roots in order to be a good Muslim, and so he drags him to the Punjab region to stay with the first Mrs Khan (Ila Arun), who he abandoned 35 years earlier for a second life in England. George also wants to find his fourth son, Maneer (Emil Marwa), a Pakistani wife. But returning to the home he left behind proves more difficult than he anticipated.

In rural Pakistan, far from the grubby streets and crass conversation of Salford, the film loses some of the 1970s styling that was intrinsic to the humour of "East is East"—that is until the second Mrs Khan (Linda Bassett) and her friend arrive unannounced, sweating in their crinoline trousers and pucci scarves, with perma-fags between fingers. The contrast between the two wives (meek Muslim and feisty Brit) escapes farce in the hands of such talented actors. There is a fine moment when the two sit talking face-to-face, each unable to speak the other language, but intuitively understanding a mutual pain and forgiveness.

Puri delivers a nuanced performance as George. His aggressive outbursts contain flashes of uncertainty as he grasps at authority in a world that he no longer recognises. While Sajid begins to embrace his heritage and discover a father figure in a kindly Sufi wise man, George can only look on and repent his mistakes. There is something sympathetic about his struggle to unify his past with the future. The drama of strained marriages and uneasy father-son relationships is balanced by light-hearted moments and some cheeky quips.

Those expecting a grand pronouncement on the state of mixed-race or Muslim families in Britain will be disappointed. "West is West" is ultimately a story about a family—a unique one, to be sure, but the dynamic is universal. Over ten years on from the first film, this chance to revisit the Khan family feels worth the wait.~THE ECONOMIST