Proud Pakistani chip-shop owner George Khan (Om Puri) lives in a terraced house with his white wife Ella (Linda Bassett) and their seven children.
George is an overbearing patriarch, who is devastated when his eldest son, Nazir (Ian Aspinall), refuses to go through with an arranged marriage. Khan disowns Nazir and increases his efforts to impose the traditional lifestyle on the rest of the family. The rest of the family, however, with the exception of Maneer (Emil Marwa), a dedicated scholar of the Koran, are having none of it.
Puri is excellent as George, beautifully capturing the contradictions of a traditional father who wants the best for his children, but whose strong belief in tradition prevents him from seeing what that is.
Writer Ayub Khan Din adapted his own stage play for East is East, which was the first feature by Irish director Damiel O'Donnell. The theatrical origins of the film remain apparent. Whether this story was suited to the big screen is a question that remains open to debate.
The film deals with themes such as tradition, family, youthful rebellion, racism, sibling rivalries, the pursuit of one's dreams, the dangers of false pride and the importance of love.
Some quite brutal scenes of domestic violence don't sit well with the comic, often farcical, overtones. Perhaps there is not enough time for the audience to recover from the moments of harsh physical violence. Despite this, East is East is a funny and moving comedy.
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