Twelve years on from the critically acclaimed culture-clash comedy East is East, BBC Films returns with the adventurously named sequel West is West and another glowing advertisement of British comedy at its uplifting and witty best.
Set four-years on from East is East, Director Andy DeEmmony’s cinematic debut returns to the now numerically diminished Khan family home in Salford- ‘near Bradford’.
The film introduces newcomer Aqib Khan as the now adolescent and surly Sajit struggling to fit into British culture without the protection of his older brothers and the detrimental baggage of his Pakistani heritage. Gone is the parka, replaced with teen angst and bundles of expletives in a generally enjoyable but unpolished performance from Khan.
The plot shifts dramatically as George (Om Puri) takes his son to meet the family he left behind in Pakistan in an attempt to teach Sajit about his roots and install some Pakistani values in his otherwise wayward son.
As in East is East most of the comedy is driven by Puri’s dictatorial and strictly Muslim patriarch George. Back in Pakistan Puri delivers another outstanding performance of the flawed yet hilarious father, chastising all in his path for being ‘bloody stupid’ and disagreeing with him in general.
The relationship between Puri and Khan provides endless scope for comedy as the stubbornness of the characters reveals an unnoticed affinity between the two. However, it is Puri’s scenes with his first family that lend a more tender tone to the film. In particular George’s guilt having left his family behind is beautifully portrayed by Puri who delivers another seamless performance on par with his Bafta-nominated display first-time round.
As Sajit begins to appreciate his Pakistani heritage and Khan begins to develop a more mature performance the second Mrs Khan (Linda Bassett) arrives on the sub-continent with the unrefined Auntie Annie (Lesley Nicol) to reclaim her family and introduce the gloriously Northern charm missing from the film. If anything it is the restoration of Bassett and Nicol that crowns the films’ success, fuelling t’final half hour with essentially uncomplicated and homely charisma synonymous with the best of British comedy.
For a first forage into cinema DeEmmony delivers a refreshing reminder of all that is good about British comedy and admirably keeps the reputation of the series in tact without succumbing to the inferior tag of sequel.
Despite an intermittently shaky script young Khan is eased into his first major performance by an experienced cast that delivers a perfectly balanced mix of conflict and humour. If you liked the first film then I would highly recommend this film as your ‘half-a-cup’ of tea.
7/10