East is east

Set in a small town in the north of England in 1971 this comedy/drama focuses on the inter-generational and cross-cultural conflicts in a large Anglo-Pakistani family. Patriarch George Kahn’s attempts to instill traditional Pakistani values in his seven young adult children are constantly thwarted— both by his easy going British wife and the siblings’ own ambitions. In their claustrophobically cramped terrace house, anarchy erupts daily with farcical energy. The film takes a more serious turn when Kahn decides to set up arranged marriages for his eldest sons. The fierce resistance he faces from his children and their deep resentment at the fact that he has never acknowledged the reality of their lives force him to confront his own chauvinist nature. Cast includes Om Puri and Linda Bassett.