West Is West (2010)

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Cast: Om Puri, Linda Bassett, Lesley Nicol, Nadim Sawalha, Aqib Khan

Rating: NR

Running Time: 102 min.

Synopsis: The dysfunctional and multi-cultural Khan family returns to the screen in this follow-up to the 1998 hit comedy East Is East. It's 1976 in Salford, England, and life, as always, is chaotic in the home of traditionally minded Pakistani immigrant George (Om Puri) and his working-class British wife Ella (Linda Bassett). Their 15-year-old son Sajid (Aqib Khan) is a target for racist bullies at school and has been picked up for shoplifting, so George decides to take him to Pakistan to learn something of his heritage. Sajid, however, isn't at all interested in getting a crash course in Pakistani culture, and the visit to George's family is made uncomfortable by the presence of his first wife (Ila Arun), whom he hasn't seen in thirty years. Sajid feels like an outcast in Pakistan, but bonds with his big brother Maneer (Emil Marwa), who had been sent there a year earlier and his trying to balance his desire to find a wife with his obsession with Greek singer Nana Mouskouri. Just when Sajid's cultural confusion seemingly couldn't get worse, Ella and her best friend Annie (Leslee Nicol) arrive for an unexpected visit, prompted by George helping himself to their joint bank account. Directed by Andy De Emmony, West Is West received its North American premiere at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival.