East is East is a side-splittingly funny view of a Pakistani family living in Salford in the 70’s.

George ‘Genghis’ Khan is struggling to bring his seven children up in the only way he knows how – as ‘good Pakistani Muslims’, firmly believing that he is doing what’s best for them. His Lancastrian wife Ella struggles to balance between the children’s’ point of view and her husband’s. The ‘children’ themselves are ordinary young people emerging from adolescence.

Firmly rooted as a comedy, East is East touches lightly on major social and cultural issues and credits its audience with the intelligence to realise that the film is just a story and cannot be extrapolated to a whole culture. Nothing is treated too seriously, (it’s a bit difficult to really, when so many space hoppers keep appearing). This is a feel-good movie and not a political comment.

The film is teeming with stereotypes – from the gay fashion gurus to the Enoch Powell supporting Granddad. The most endearing character is the youngest child Sajit, who sits fishing in the gutter with his best mate and watches clashes of culture, race and generations with mild interest. He only seems to be touched by any of it when his ever-present parka is removed.

Personally, my favourite bit of the film is the opening sequence, which sets the light-hearted tone for the rest of the film (although the space hoppers and Bollywood song sequences come a close second!). Altogether, East is East is an enjoyable and entertaining film which mixes originality with humour. Worth watching...

Jeevani Mantotta