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Culture clashes that are an obvious outcome of ethnic heterogeneity,
if depicted in a lucid manner not involving the usual tensions that
accompany such clashes, really turn out to be a delight to watch.
And that's what Damien O'Donnell has accomplished in his directorial
Debut Film East is East. When it's an issue-based movie then one
hardly yearns for a storyline and what requires is a sensible and
emphatic characterization, which has been handled dexterously by
the director in this film.
George
Khan (Om Puri) is a Pakistani who has migrated to Manchester, Britain,
leaving behind his Muslim wife. He marries an English woman Ella
(Linda Basset) and has seven kids from her who are brought up in
the Islamic faith. And from here you are taken to a travesty of
laughter while the director delicately muses over serious issues
like cultural disparity, racial discrimination, religious hypocrisy,
traditions vs. modernism etc. and at the end of it you don't even
realize that (unless you actually start thinking about them).
George
in his fanatic zeal and vanity of beholder of traditional mores
arranges a marriage of his eldest son Nazir (Ian Aspinall) within
the community without the cognizance and consent of the son. And
in a very comically picturized scene Nazir dashes out of the wedding
hall leaving everyone including the bride petrified. And as an aftermath
to this, the father declares the son dead and fiats the family to
severe all relations with Nazir. And the story drifts smoothly with
George continuing to inflict his atrocities on the family all in
the name of upholding the traditional values of Islamic faith. The
portrayal of the frustrated children and the wife being trapped
between a martinet husband and non-conformist children is a delight
to watch. This might appear as perfect ingredients for some high
decibel, tense, sentimental family drama but believe me; all those
decibels only leave you with load full of laughter even after the
movie ends.
The
most wonderful achievement of the movie is, despite handling sensitive
issues, the director never tries to project anyone as the protagonist
or an antagonist. O' Donnell superbly stayed away from being judgmental
by not depicting anybody right or wrong. Though you do expect that
the warring parties (if u allow me to say so) who in the end of
the movie turn into a direct confrontation, would reconcile their
differences and particularly, you all the more expect George to
relent and neutralize his jingoistic fanaticism, that doesn't happen
and both the parties apparently agree to disagree. This I feel,
is a very logical conclusion to such a theme as the beliefs and
faiths that are so deeply ingrained in you, to uphold whom you go
to any extremity and with whom you have spent greater part of your
life, seldom vanish so easily. Certainly an antithesis to mainstream
cinema, which more often than not is obsessed with the theory-all
is well that ends well, the climax of the movie leaves you with
a greater agreement with the director for his sensible 'in'conclusion
of the movie than you would have with the expected end.
On
performances, Om Puri as George Khan is an absolute treat to watch.
His dialogue delivery and histrionics as a rigid orthodox father
who wants to control every aspect of the family are some things
you will remember for long. And so is the performance of Linda Basset
as the dedicated woman trapped between the disgusted children and
an autocratic husband. For the advocates of "Bhartiya nari" here's
a challenge. And for the director, O' Donnell is brilliant in every
possible angle you probably could see the movie. The panache with
which he has handled sensitive issues, the choice of language, the
satire he has hurled on popular credos demonstrate his ingenuity
but for which you would have had to gulp tons of painkillers to
relive you from the headache caused by movies portraying issues
like culture clashes, racial discrimination, religious hypocrisy.
A
must see.
Rating: ****
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