East Is East (1999)

Director:

Damien O'Donnell

Writers:

Ayub Khan-Din (play)
Ayub Khan-Din (screenplay)

Release Date:

14 April 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

A comedy of families, a chip shop... and a very randy dog.

Plot:

In 1971 Salford fish-and-chip shop owner George Khan expects his family to follow his strict Pakistani Muslim ways...

Plot Keywords:

Pakistani | 1970s | British | Arranged Marriage | Muslim

Awards:

Nominated for 4 BAFTA Film Awards. Another 15 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Om Puri	...	George Khan
Linda Bassett	...	Ella Khan
Jordan Routledge	...	Sajid Khan
Archie Panjabi	...	Meenah Khan
Emil Marwa	...	Maneer Khan
Chris Bisson	...	Saleem Khan
Jimi Mistry	...	Tariq Khan
Raji James	...	Abdul Khan
Ian Aspinall	...	Nazir Khan
Lesley Nicol	...	Auntie Annie
Emma Rydal	...	Stella Moorhouse
Ruth Jones	...	Peggy
Ben Keaton	...	Priest
Kriss Dosanjh	...	Poppa Khalid
John Bardon	...	Mr. Moorhouse
Gary Damer	...	Earnest Moorhouse
Albert Moses	...	Abdul Karim
Jimmi Harkishin	...	Iyaaz Ali Khan
Rosalind March	...	Helen Karim
Kaleem Janjua	...	Mullah
Gary Lewis	...	Mark
Roger Morlidge	...	Fat Twat
Ralph Birtwell	...	Doctor
Madhav Sharma	...	Mr. Shah
Saikat Ahamed	...	Zaid
Bruce McGregor	...	Bouncer
Margaret Blakemore	...	Trisha
Thierry Harcourt	...	Etienne Francois
Leena Dhingra	...	Mrs. Shah
Tallat Nawaz	...	Nigget Shah
Sharmeen Rafi	...	Nushaaba Shah
Blake	...	Great Dane
Riot	...	Afghan
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Enid Dunn	...	Judy (uncredited)
Preeya Kalidas	...	Nazir's Bride (uncredited)
Enoch Powell	...	Himself - Giving Speech (archive footage) (uncredited)

Directed by
Damien O'Donnell

Writing credits
Ayub Khan-Din		(play)
Ayub Khan-Din		(screenplay)

Produced by
Stephanie Guerrasio	....	associate producer
Shellie Smith	....	line producer
Leslee Udwin	....	producer
Alan J. Wands	....	executive producer
Paul Webster	....	chief executive producer: FilmFour (uncredited)

Original Music by
Deborah Mollison

Cinematography by
Brian Tufano		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Michael Parker

Casting by
Joan McCann
Toby Whale

Production Design by
Tom Conroy

Art Direction by
Henry Harris

Set Decoration by
Eliza Solesbury

Costume Design by
Lorna Marie Mugan

Makeup Department
Rebecca Burge	....	additional hair assistant
Rebecca Burge	....	additional makeup assistant
Rowena Deane	....	additional hair assistant (as Rowena Dean)
Rowena Deane	....	additional makeup assistant (as Rowena Dean)
Nadia El-Saffar	....	hair stylist
Mary Hillman	....	makeup artist
Claire Smith	....	additional hair assistant
Claire Smith	....	additional makeup assistant
Penny Smith	....	makeup designer
Mandy Taylor	....	additional hair assistant
Mandy Taylor	....	additional makeup assistant
Felicity Wright	....	additional hair assistant
Felicity Wright	....	additional makeup assistant
Penny Smith	....	hair designer (uncredited)

Production Management
Alexander De Grunwald	....	post-production supervisor (as Alex de Grunwald)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ben Dixon	....	third assistant director
Robert Grayson	....	additional second assistant director
Ben Howard	....	additional third assistant director
Stuart Renfrew	....	first assistant director
George Walker	....	second assistant director
William Booker	....	second assistant director (uncredited)
Tom Delmar	....	second unit director (uncredited)

Art Department
Mark Adams	....	stand-by painter
Matt Amos	....	painter
Marshall Aver	....	additional dressing props (as Marshal Avers)
Sean Board	....	additional dressing props (as Sean Boars)
Lisa Chugg	....	assistant prop buyer
Ian Coote	....	stand-by construction truck
Nick Dent	....	additional dressing props
Barry Du Pille	....	prop master
Toby Ellis	....	stand-by props truck (as Tony Ellis)
Hannah Evans	....	additional dressing props
Michael Fairnie	....	additional stand-by props
John Galpin	....	dressing props
Robert Gould	....	dressing props
Jessica Graham	....	additional assistant props buyer
Fiona Greaves	....	additional dresser
Austin Harris	....	art department runner
Zoe Harvey	....	additional dresser
Michael Hoburn	....	painter
Guy Hunt	....	additional carpenter
Tina Kalivas	....	additional dresser
Walid Kioumgi	....	additional stagehand
Clifford Lay	....	stagehand
Caroline Lindsay	....	set painter
Kate Lloyd-Spencer	....	assistant art director
Toby Longin	....	carpenter
Kamlan Man	....	assistant art director
Alan Martin	....	stand-by props
Mark McNeil	....	additional dressing props (as Mark Venn Mcneil)
Matthew Parsons	....	set painter
Antoine Robin	....	additional carpenter
Stuart Rushbrook	....	stand-by carpenter
Eugene Scanlan	....	stand-by props
Eliza Solesbury	....	buyer
Geoff Stainthorp	....	chargehand carpenter
Graham Stickley	....	additional dressing props
Robin Thistlewaite	....	construction manager (as Robin Thistlethwaite)
Ros Ward	....	additional dresser
Jonathan Wells	....	carpenter

Sound Department
Gareth Bull	....	dialogue editor
John Downer	....	sound editor
Joe Gallagher	....	foley editor
Trig Jones	....	additional sound trainee
Peter Murphy	....	sound maintenance engineer
Ron Osman	....	additional playback engineer: TV
Ken Somerville	....	foley mixer
Ian Tapp	....	sound re-recording mixer
Oliver Tarney	....	dialogue editor
Christian Wangler	....	sound mixer
Penelope Jane White	....	additional sound trainee

Stunts
Tom Delmar	....	stunt coordinator
Wayne Docksey	....	animal stunts (uncredited)
Amanda Foster	....	stunt double (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Stephen Andrews	....	additional camera trainee
Stuart Barell	....	additional clapper loader (as Stuart Barrell)
Jaap Buitendijk	....	still photographer
Danny Cohen	....	additional focus puller
Paul Hanning	....	additional clapper loader
David Hedges	....	additional focus puller
David McAnulty	....	additional grip (as Dave McAnulty)
Adrian McCarthy	....	grip
Liam McGill	....	gaffer
Brian Mcgivern	....	electrician (as Brian McGivern)
Mike McHugh	....	electrician
Andy Newall	....	additional focus puller
Gary Nolan	....	electrician
Brian Pickett	....	additional rigger
Clive Pittman	....	clapper loader
David Price	....	stand-by rigger
Sean Savage	....	additional camera operator
Peter Scorah	....	additional grip
Bob Shipsey	....	focus puller
Roger Tooley	....	additional Steadicam operator
Adam Walker	....	electrician
Iwan Williams	....	best boy
Bob Shipsey	....	additional photographer (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Barbara Brady	....	additional wardrobe assistant
M. Calaghan	....	additional wardrobe assistant
Jayne Collinge	....	additional wardrobe assistant
Gill Howard	....	costume design assistant
Sophia Kyllin	....	wardrobe assistant
Graham Meetho	....	wardrobe supervisor (as Graham Meethoo)
Saffron Rider	....	additional wardrobe assistant
Jan Simpson	....	additional wardrobe assistant

Editorial Department
Kezia Martin	....	second assistant editor
Em. L. Muslin	....	post-production secretary
Mark Neale	....	second assistant editor
Dan Roberts	....	first assistant editor (as Daniel Roberts)

Music Department
Paul Clarvis	....	musician: drums and percussion
John A. Coleman	....	music contractor (as John Coleman)
Tony Fisher	....	musician: trumpet
Jim Hughes	....	musician: harmonica
Sunil Kalyan	....	musician: tabla
Rajan Kochhar	....	music coordinator: Asian
Fiesta Mei Ling	....	music preparation
Andy Mackintosh	....	musician: clarinet
Andy Mackintosh	....	musician: saxophone
Deborah Mollison	....	musician: piano
Deborah Mollison	....	orchestrator
Paul Morgan	....	musician: bass
Paul Morgan	....	musician: guitar
John Parricelli	....	musician: guitar
Steve Price	....	music mixer
Phil Todd	....	musician: clarinet
Phil Todd	....	musician: saxophone

Transportation Department
Alec Christie	....	driver
Natalie Conway	....	driver: minibus
Andy Cooper	....	driver: wardrobe truck (as Andre Cooper)
Nick Curson	....	driver: dressing props truck
Alan Eccleston	....	action vehicles
Jon Howard	....	driver
Christopher Keepin	....	driver: minibus
Jon Lamas-Veiga	....	driver: minibus
Peter Scorah	....	driver: camera car
Nick Shuttleworth	....	driver (as Nicholas Shuttleworth)
Gerry Turner	....	driver: make-up truck
Kevin Christopher	....	driver: minibus (uncredited)

Other crew
Alicia Boden	....	stand-in
Billy Boden	....	stand-in
Catherine Brice	....	assistant to location manager
John Brown	....	additional runner (as John Brown Jnr.)
Tabitha Burrill	....	assistant accountant
Alec Christie	....	runner
Victoria Connell	....	additional crowd coordinator
Spencer Dodd	....	floor runner
Corinna Downing	....	assistant to producer
John Eccleston	....	production accountant
Sean Egan	....	legal services: Bates, Wells and Braithwaite
Steve Fletcher	....	tutor
Wendy Fletcher	....	tutor
Lucy Gerrish	....	accountant trainee
Samantha Greeley	....	stand-in
Jon Howard	....	runner
Polly Jefferies	....	production coordinator
Richard Lloyd Jones	....	additional production runner
Allegra Kopp	....	production assistant
Jonathan Leather	....	additional runner
Sue Lefton	....	choreographer
Helene Lenszner	....	location manager
Jane Mackay	....	unit nurse
Jill McCullough	....	dialect advisor (as Jill McCullouch)
Ann McManamon	....	tutor
Graham Meetho	....	advisor: moslem (as Graham Meethoo)
Peter Millhouse	....	location assistant
Em. L. Muslin	....	production secretary
Paul Nadasdy	....	production runner
Simon Ram	....	stand-in
Marinella Setti	....	script supervisor
Nick Shuttleworth	....	runner (as Nicholas Shuttleworth)
Mark Anthony Thompson	....	additional runner (as Mark Thompson)
Mick Ward	....	additional crowd coordinator
Lisa Williams	....	production assistant
Joy Sapieka	....	publicist (uncredited)

Thanks
Buki Armstrong	....	special thanks
Joanna Beresford	....	special thanks
Sebastian Born	....	special thanks
Phillip Cooper	....	special thanks (as Phil Cooper)
John Cornfield	....	special thanks
Natasha Dack	....	special thanks
Elinor Day	....	special thanks
Sunil Gaur	....	special thanks
Rob Gold	....	special thanks: Music For Film
Andrew Hildebrand	....	special thanks
John Humphrys	....	special thanks
David Johnston	....	special thanks
Nasreen Kabir	....	special thanks (as Munni Kabir)
Jeremy Kimberlin	....	special thanks
Lisa Makin	....	special thanks
Patrick McEnellay	....	special thanks (as Pat McEnellay)
Neil Mockler	....	special thanks
Gail M. Patterson	....	special thanks (as Gail Patterson)
Ian Robinson	....	special thanks
Emil Romer	....	special thanks
Kim Rømer	....	special thanks
Mark Shivas	....	special thanks
John R. Stubbs	....	special thanks (as John Stubbs)
Colin Vaines	....	special thanks
Paul Webster	....	special thanks
Kate Wilson	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• FilmFour (presents) (copyright owners) (as Film Four)
• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) (in association with) (as BBC)
• Assassin Films

Distributors

• Channel Four Films (1999) (UK) (theatrical)
• Miramax Films (2000) (USA) (theatrical)
• Alfa Films (2000) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Ascot Elite Entertainment Group (1999) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Atalanta Filmes (2000) (Portugal) (theatrical)
• Crest International (2001) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Océan Films (2000) (France) (theatrical)
• Senator Film (2000) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Buena Vista Television (????) (USA) (TV)
• Gativideo (2000) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution (Denmark)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution (Finland)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution (Norway)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution (Sweden)

Other Companies

• 2020 Casting  extras casting (uncredited)
• ARRI Media  camera equipment
• Angel Recording Studios  music recording
• Animal Actors  animals (as Animal Acting)
• Anvil Post Production  foley and re-recording studio
• Autolinx  transport
• Bates, Wells & Braithwaite  legal services
• Church of England  special thanks
• Diocese of Manchester  special thanks
• Eagle Films  footage: "Professor" courtesy of
• Ealing Studios  special thanks
• Edit Hire (New Technology)  cutting room equipment (as Edit Hire)
• English Stage Company  theater company: "East Is East" original stage production
• Film Finances  completion bond
• GT Caterers  caterer
• Gee-Whiz Transport Services  transport
• General Screen Enterprises  tiles and opticals
• Grip-On  low loader
• Guru Dutt Films Pvt. Ltd.  footage: "Professor" and "Chaudvin Ka Chand" courtesy of
• Hyphen Films  footage: "Professor" and "Chaudvin Ka Chand" courtesy of
• Ice Film Equipment  camera equipment
• International Stunt Company, The  stunt services (uncredited)
• Joy Sapieka Associates  publicist
• Kodak  motion picture film
• Lee Lighting  lighting
• Location Facilities  facilities vehicles
• London Philharmonic Orchestra  string players from
• Manchester Film Office  special thanks (as Manchester Film Office at Marketing Manchester)
• Maxwells Fish and Chip Shop  special thanks
• Media Insurance Brokers  insurance
• NGP Film Services  low loader
• PTP Aerial Platforms Ltd.  cranes and cherrypickers
• Programme MEDIA de la Communauté Européenne  developed with the support of (as The Media Programme)
• Sapex Scripts  post-production services
• Smallfilms  footage: "The Clangers" courtesy of
• St. Gregory's Roman Catholic School  special thanks
• Sylvia Wheeler Film Services  neg cutters
• Tamasha Theatre Company  theater company: "East Is East" original stage production
• Universal  cranes and cherrypickers
• Wavevend Limited  walkie talkies (as Wavevend)

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English | Urdu

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:L | USA:TV-PG (TV rating) | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Egypt:(Banned) | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Germany:6 | Hong Kong:IIB | Italy:T | New Zealand:M | Norway:11 | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Ealing Studios, Ealing, London, England, UK

Company:

FilmFour

Trivia:

Banned in Egypt.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: As the family enter Bradford they cross a sleeping policeman, but these were not seen on British streets in the early seventies.

Quotes:

[In the hospital following Sajid's circumcision]
George Khan: Tickle-Tackle all gone?
Doctor: [Puzzled] Circumcision was absolutely fine.
George Khan: You Indian?
Ella Khan: [whispering] George.
George Khan: [to Ella] Bastard Indian.

Movie Connections:

Features "The Clangers" (1969)

Soundtrack:

Main Chali Main Chali

low keyed comedy/drama

`East is East,' something of a modern day version of `Fiddler on the Roof,' explores the culture clash that occurs in the context of a half Pakistani/half British family living in early 1970's England. George Khan is a Muslim who, upon immigrating to Great Britain in 1937, married a British woman despite the fact that his first wife still lives in Pakistan. Now, twenty five years later, the still happily married couple lives in a small apartment with their daughter and six sons all of whom have been raised to honor their father's religion and traditions. Yet, like Tevye, George is suddenly confronted with the fact that, as times change and the world moves on, the younger generation will no longer abide by the archaic rituals of an ancient age. In many ways, this is the flip side of `Fiddler' in that here the reluctant marriage partners are sons and not daughters. For indeed, George's ultimate goal in life is to arrange marriages for his teenaged sons within the accepted tradition of the Muslim faith. But culture is often a force that parents try in vain to withstand and these children, raised in the far more open and liberated society of `mod' England, are not about to take such dictatorial parental control lying down.

In the script based on his play, Ayub Khan-Din provides an evenhanded and comprehensive view of the situation. George is not presented to us as an inflexible or unreasonable ogre, yet at the same time, he will, in his frustration, strike out even physically at the children and the wife who seem to oppose him. We sense the fear that runs through him that, if his sons are allowed to exercise their freedom in this one crucial area, the family will sever that connection with the past which brings stability to their lives. Thus, without any traditions to anchor them, George dreads that he and the family will be cut adrift in a seemingly rudderless world that suddenly seems in the 1970's to be in such great and terrifying moral flux. Moreover, we are left to ponder the strange contradiction between George's own words and the choices he himself has made. After all, his opting to marry a British woman who does not share the tenets of his faith obviously went beyond the bounds of the very traditions he is now so dogmatically insisting his sons uphold. This type of ambiguity within the characters enhances their credibility, for indeed life and the people we meet therein come replete with such maddening inconsistencies.

Khan-Din and director Damien O'Donnell establish an effective balance between low-key humor and occasionally searing drama. The relationship between the husband and wife who comprise this interracial marriage is complexly realized and fully drawn; the obvious difficulties the two have experienced as a result of the nonconformity of their union has obviously strengthened their devotion to one another and they appear to greatly enjoy each other's company. She has undoubtedly made any number of concessions and compromises to her husband's belief system, yet she has retained her British feistiness and knows how far to let George go before she draws the line, especially when it comes to protecting the rights and happiness of her own progeny. In a similar way, we see, in thorough detail, the complexities that make up the two very different sets of relationships between the respective parents and their children. Din and O'Donnell have, wisely, chosen to limit the scope of their film by downplaying the broader theme of how a suspicious and prejudiced society deals with so unconventional a marriage and family. We see only bits and pieces of this in the form of bigoted comments uttered by a disapproving neighbor and a mere mention of a political rally intended to rouse the populace on the issue of `repatriation.' Instead, the authors concentrate almost exclusively on the internecine struggles taking place within this one family. This helps to keep the scale of the film life-sized, thus enhancing our identification with the characters and their universal parent/child conflicts. For, in a way, the Khan family is really not undergoing any crisis not already familiar to countless families the world over, as parents cope with children eager to cut the filial chords and establish life on their own terms and as children, likewise, deal with parents who want to determine the course those lives will take. The Khans just happen to provide a more heightened and intensified view of this subject.

`East is East' is a small movie but an absorbing one. Thanks to uniformly excellent performances from a gifted cast and a careful modulation between humor and drama, the film emerges as a compelling and insightful glimpse into a life that is, as for all of us, so full of both terrifying and wonderful complexity.