West is West –the opening film in 41st IFFI-2010

‘’It has been more than a decade since the Ayub Khan-Din-scripted East Is East liberated British-Asian cinema from the furrowed-brow earnestness that had largely been its lot. It managed to combine an effervescent cheerfulness with simple but effective points about how ethnic identity changes across successive generations of immigrants.’’ No doubt with one eye on current political debate, this belated sequel West is West looks to develop the theme and provide context to the arguments about immigration. The story develops in Manchester, North of England, in 1975. The now much diminished, but still claustrophobic and dysfunctional, Khan Family continues to struggle for survival. Sajid, the youngest Khan, the runt of the litter, is deep in pubescent crisis under heavy assault both from his father's tyrannical insistence on Pakistani tradition, and from the fierce bullies in the schoolyard. So, in a last, desperate attempt to 'sort him out', his father decides to pack him off to Mrs. Khan No 1 and family in the Punjab, the wife and daughters he had abandoned 35 years earlier. It is not long before Ella Khan (Mrs. Khan No2) with a small entourage from Salford, England, swiftly follows to sort out the mess, past and present. Critics say that television veteran Andy De Emmony’s feature film debut is colourful, generally well paced and intent on being a crowd-pleaser filled with laughter, tears and an uplifting resolution. It may not have the freshness or impact of East is East but West Is West is still a big-hearted slice of populist entertainment. It is based on the screen play of Ayub Khan-Din.Cinematographyis by Peter Robertson. Shankhar Ehsaan. Main cast did the Music. Om Puri, Aqib Khan, Linda Bassett, Ila Arun, Jimi Mistry etc are main cast of this film.