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:

Male Genital Mutilation | Polygamy | Mixed Marriage | Pakistani Immigrant | Urine

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)
• Buena Vista Television (????) (USA) (TV)
• Crest International (2001) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Gativideo (2000) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Océan Films (2000) (France) (theatrical)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution (Denmark)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution (Finland)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution (Norway)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution (Sweden)
• Senator Film (2000) (Germany) (theatrical)

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) Ltd.  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
• MEDIA Programme of the European Union  developed with the support of (as The Media Programme)
• 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
• 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

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:TV-PG (TV rating) | Iceland:L | 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:

When Nazier runs away from the wedding there's a shot of Tariq without his hat on, yet the next shot shows George with Tariq behind him removing his hat.

Quotes:

Priest: God bless.
George Khan: And Allah be with you

Movie Connections:

Features "The Clangers" (1969)

Soundtrack:

Wonderful World, Beautiful People

A different side of England

I wish there were more movies about the different cultures in the UK. Not just the Anglo, but the Pakistani and West Indian perspectives. Even the Southeast Asian view. The East Indians have shown great strides with movies like "Bend It Like Beckham" and a few others. This movie got away from me until recently. I saw in the library video section and decided to check it out. The box is very deceptive. They put a young interracial couple, front and center on the cover when actually their subplot is very peripheral to the story. I guess the movie studio figured they'd get a wider audience interested with younger faces on the cover since the main characters look to be in their 50s.

George Khan (Om Puri) has left his native Pakistan to live in the UK with its soveriegnty ties. Though he has a wife back in his homeland (she is only mentioned, not seen), he marries a white Englishwoman, Ella (Lynda Bassett). They have 7 kids: 6 boys and 1 girl. Flash forward to the late 60s (where the movie actually begins) and we see his kids are truly English in behavior though he stresses that they must go to Mosque to study and worship. His oldest is to be wed in an arranged marriage to a woman he hardly knows. He runs out in the middle of the ceremony in fear, embarrassing his family especially his father who disowns him. This sets the tone of the movie. His kids are English-born and want to live like their friends in their working-class neighborhood but George wants to raise them as traditional Muslims, despite opposition from his wife, Ella, who only wants the kids to be happy. She tries to help them avoid run-ins with their father who despite his cheerfulness is quite an ogre when angered. The kids range in attitude and indifference toward George's attempts to introduce them to the traditional ways.

This is a decent introduction to East Indian life in the UK especially since it's set during a time when there was political strife over immigration of non-whites into Britain. Though it's an effective comedy, it also touches on the frustration immigrants of any culture go through to hold onto or reject their identity. The only thing marring this movie is a domestic violence scene that may bother some. Still a very good movie worth seeing.