West Is West (2010)

You won't be disappointed!

Boring

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Even if you didn't know everything points out to the previous "entry" that was called East is east. So they thought they'd make another movie with immigration and other problems crammed into one movie. Actually the movie has really high ambitions trying to light even the grayest of areas and everything that surrounds it.Unfortunately though the ambitions might have been to high to reach. It's not a bad movie by any means, but trying to juggle all the threads of the story proves to be more than difficult. It does seem to stir away from time to time instead of focusing on certain problems. Which in itself wouldn't be a bad thing, but again it doesn't have total control of everything that goes on, which might leave you with an unsatisfying feeling.

The movie addresses the old topic of identity crisis of people living abroad. As a Pakistani living abroad, I could totally relate to it. All the actors and the director have done a great job. I don't know why the movies was not nominated for Oscars?There are plenty of moving scenes and perfect depiction of emotions. A touch of mysticism in Pakistani culture adds a sublime flavor to the theme of the movie as well. The plot is very close to reality and the script is spot on. All of this mixed with exhilarating sufi soudtrack touches your soul. The movie is a treat to watch - extremely indulging. One of the best movies I have seen recently.Highly recommended!

It's been more than 10 years since the film version of Ayub Khan-Din's semi-autobiographical story about the tale of a mixed-race British household in Salford, Lancashire in the early 1970s. "East is East" was the title of the film, the intercultural comedy a hit during a time when British Asians were making their mark on pop culture- and films like "Bend It Like Beckham" and "The Guru" became unexpected successes at the box office. Why this sequel has taken this long is perplexing, and why they eventually made it even more so, considering how it is no more than a flaccid attempt at replicating the success of its predecessor.Again penned by Khan-Din, 'West is West' takes place some five years after the first film, and starts off in Britain where the youngest son of the family, Sajid (newcomer Agib Khan) is turning to rebellion to counter the racist bullying he gets from his fellow schoolmates and the admonishments he receives from his parochial father George (Om Puri). Exasperated, the father decides to bring him back to Pakistan to teach him some old-fashioned values and to give him a sense of history and belonging. Their ancestral village in the Punjab is where this coming- of-age tale is largely set, though this is also precisely where the film starts to go very quickly downhill.For the first 15 mins, Khan-Din and director Andy de Emmony successfully recapture the verve of the politically incorrect first film which made it such a hilarious cross-cultural comedy delight- Jahingar's over- protective ways with Sajid and a daft headmaster at Sajid's school are the highlights. But the change in location takes away what teeth the biting comedy had in the first place, and even the occasional sharp line (like 'F**k off, Mowgli' to a local kid who tries to befriend Sajid) disappears altogether once Sajid begins to settle into the rhythm of the local village life.In its place is a contrived story involving Sajid's lessons with the village wise man Pir Naseem (Nadim Sawalha), as the latter urges him to recognise his lineage and to find his direction in life. Naturally, Sajid does, even though it takes some time before he summons the respect for his father. Sajid's coming-of-age is frankly a bore, one that seems obligatory and nowhere near as moving or as engaging as it should be. Faring slightly better are two other parallel story lines- the first about George's older son Maneer (Emil Marwa) and his search for a bride; and the second about George's reconciliation with his first wife and his daughters whom he left behind in Pakistan some 30 years ago.In particular, the latter is anchored by Om Puri's strong performance, portraying the angst and guilt his character feels within him for abandoning his previous family with only the occasional correspondence as well as a regular stipend from England. This predicament also forms the basis of the film's most poignant moment, when George's English wife Ella (Linda Bassett) meets his first (Ila Arun) and proceeds to engage in a conversation that conveys each other's inner anguish despite not being able to understand the other's language. Bassett and Arun are uniformly excellent in their roles, and you can't help but empathise with both at the same time.Yet the emotional impact of this exchange is ultimately dulled by a film that meanders too long and too aimlessly for its own good. There is little to be learnt or enjoyed in this intercultural movie, a sequel that loses the jocular and irreverent tone of the first film. It doesn't matter if you're from the East, or from the West- this is one boring affair whichever side of the continent you hail from. www.moviexclusive.com

They say good things take time and this belated follow up to the 1999 hit East is East has been over a decade in the coming. Happy to say the wait has been worthwhile and writer Ayub Khan-Din has written a sequel that is every bit as much involving, fun and moving as the original. It's 1976 and Salford chip shop owner's George Khan(Om Puri)'s youngest son Sajid (Aqib Khan)- one of the offspring of his second marriage to feisty white northerner Ella (Linda Basset) is having a tough time at school and becoming a bit of a rebel. Determined to sort the lad out out George whips him off to the home town he himself hasn't been back to in 30 years in rural Pakistan. There he meets a slew of relatives including the Mrs Khan number 1 (Ila Aran) as well as Sajid's brother Maneer (Emil Marwa) who has been unsuccessfully searching for a wife. A series of tragi-comic events follow as Sajid's learns some important life lessons. George meanwhile faces something of an identity crises as he is forced to confront both his past and present. Following up Damian O'Donnel's 1999 original was never going to be an easy task but director produces a follow up that is worthy successor to the original. Performances are excellent across the board with the likes of Nadeem Sawalha, Lesley Nichol, Robert Pugh, Zita Sattar and Raj Bhansali, playing excellent supporting roles. There's a brief but amusing cameo by Jimmi Mistry who reprises his role as Sajid's elder brother Tariq but we don't get to find out what became of his other brothers Saleem, Abdul, Nazir and sister Meenah. Though with Khan-Din talking about a third film in the series hopefully we will get to find out in the next installment. All in all this is an excellent film which takes a light hearted but thought provoking look at themes of family,culture and identity.