WEST IS WEST (2010, USA, 103m, 15) ***
Comedy, Drama
dist. Icon Film Distribution (UK); pr co. BBC Films / Assassin Films; d. Andy De Emmony; w. Ayub Khan-Din; pr. Leslee Udwin; ph. Peter Robertson (Colour | 1.85:1); m. Rob Lane; ed. Jon Gregory, Stephen O’Connell; pd. Tom Conroy, Aradhana Seth; ad. Shital Kanvinde, Pradip Redij, Katy Tuxford.
cast: Om Puri (George / Jahangir Khan), Linda Bassett (Ella Khan), Aqib Khan (Sajid Khan), Lesley Nicol (Auntie Annie), Jimi Mistry (Tariq Khan), Ila Arun (Basheera Khan), Sheeba Chaddha (Rehana Khan), Emil Marwa (Maneer Kahn), Vijay Raaz (Tanvir), Vanessa Hehir (Esther), Robert Pugh (Mr. Jordan), Zita Sattar (Neelam Haqq), Nadim Sawalha (Pir Naseem), Raj Bhansali (Zaid), Yograj Singh (Customs Official), Dhanalaxmi Padmakumar (Raushana Khan), Kalra Chander (Abdullah), Sujata Kumar (Mrs. Haqq), Enid Dunn (Eunice), Kamal Arora (Master Eyaz).
This is a less effective sequel to EAST IS EAST which takes the Khan family on a journey from Salford, England, to rural Pakistan. It is the coming-of-age story of both 13-year-old Sajid and also of his father, 60-year-old George (‘Ghengis’) Khan. Sajid, the youngest Khan has been misbehaving so his father decides to pack him off to Mrs Khan No 1 and family in the Punjab, the wife and daughters he had abandoned 30 years earlier. Resolved to teach Sajid a lesson, the tables are turned on George as he realizes that it is he himself who has much to learn. Whilst the first film had charm in abundance, the humour in this sequel feels forced and undermines some of the social commentary it wishes to make. The contrasts between rural Pakistan and inner-city Salford are stark, serving to emphasise the cultural divide. Like the first film, however, the story feels unfulfilled despite the efforts of a talented cast.
