The main reason why 'West is West' hasn't had the reception it wanted is that the point was already made with 'East is East'. 'East' struck a chord with British Muslims and others ethnically Indian. It was an affront to all the dads who came to Britain in the post-war decades and thought they could have their chapatti and eat it too. It championed individualism and mocked religion and tradition as obstacles to it.
This sequel is five years on from 'East' and focuses on the youngest child, Sajid who, when we first met him, always wore an anorak and tried, vainly, to avoid 'the snip'. His dad Jehangir (or George as he re-Christened himself) sees in Sajid his last opportunity to convert one of his kid's from Salford lad to Pakistani Prince. George takes Sajid to Pakistan under the pretence that it will mature him; though his actual motivation is to carry out a forced marriage. Sajid resents this – he is English after all – and fights to escape.
Of all his kids, George was only able to wield influence over one – Manir, a role reprised by Emil Marwa (doesn't he look like Dirk Bogarde?). We find him already living in Pakistan, desperately trying to find a wife. Although he clearly will not pursue the same path, Sajid assists his brother by finding him a suitable spouse.
I was bothered by some of the supporting cast. They were histrionic and inauthentic. Part of Sajid's appeal in the first film (a different actor plays him here) was that he seldom spoke. He opens his gob way too much this time around, invariably to tell some innocent to 'f- off', which is precisely what I wanted him to do.
George is again played without irony by Om Puri. He still refers to his kids as 'bloody bastards', and he still doesn't see the rank hypocrisy of marrying a non-Muslim whilst insisting his kids abide by a strict Muslim way of life.
Where it loses humour it finds heart. That's its downfall. We see George's first wife – the one he left 30 years ago to marry Linda Bassett's character, Ella. She castigates but then too quickly forgives him for leaving her and their kids. It smacked of Bollywood and that put me right off.
www.scottishreview.net
2 out of 7 found this helpful