Such a frustrating disappointment

i must have seen a different film!!

Captivating movie !

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

A sequel to EAST IS EAST (1999), WEST IS WEST follows the passage of George/ Jahangir (Om Puri) as he travels with son Sajd (Aqib Khan) to Pakistan so as to 'educate' his son. However the process of adapting to the new culture after a life spent in Salford, Greater Manchester, proves more difficult for George than it does for his son. Andy De Emmony's film makes some trenchant points about the difficulties of cultural adaptation, and how it is impossible to 'go back' to one's home culture and expect to live life as one did before emigrating. There are some very funny moments in this film, especially Sajd as he gradually adjusts himself to alternative ways of life. However the ending represents a bit of a cop-out, as George/Jahangir returns to Britain to resume his life as a chip-shop owner with his second wife Ella (Linda Bassett), leaving his first wife Raushana (Dhanalaxmi Padmakumar) to fend for herself - just as he has done for most of the previous three decades. The fact that he can re-open the chip shop - despite having no money - seems a little hard to believe; and we wonder how he will be able to take care of his Pakistani family in the future, even if it means only sending them money.

I had seen the earlier film, East is East, though I didn't remember it till I visited this site. So I enjoyed this picture all on its own.And it stands on its own quite well. I found it well written, well acted and a fascinating look into traditional Pakistani culture. Lately all one hears of Pakistan is war and conflict. So it was a real pleasure to see the people through their own eyes.I thought the acting was superlative especially the Mr. Khan and his wives, though young Sajid does an excellent job and has much to do in the movie.I thought it was terrific. I liked that a message in it is that in matters of the heart we are all pretty much the same. Outstanding

In 1999, "East Is East" was a pleasurable and incisive look at the clash of different cultures in an Anglo-Pakistani family in a Salford set in 1971. Over a decade later comes a sequel of sorts, this film located mainly in the Punjab part of Pakistan a few years on. Although the director is different (Andy DeEmmony this time), the writer is the same (Ayub Khan-Din) as are some of the lead actors, notably Om Puri (actually from the Indian part of the Punjab), again outstanding as the patriarch struggling to give his youngest son an appreciation of his Pakistani culture, and Linda Bassett as his long-suffering English wife.It is an uneven work, with some of the characters merely caricatures and some of the humour simply slapstick, but there are plenty of moving scenes - above all one between the English and Pakistani wives when neither can understand the other's language but both manage to convey deep understanding - and the locations and soundtrack are excellent.

The plot of West is West is the cinematic equivalent of a car ride – it drives quickly (to Pakistan), runs out of petrol upon reaching its number one destination, and then the characters refill it for the rest of the journey. In other terms – the film picks up pace very quickly at the start, almost as if deliberately rushing Sajid off to Pakistan. When at Pakistan, it's about 15-20 minutes into the film and an hour and a half remains so the whole plot (which is primarily Sajid's issue in England that apparently will be fixed by his father's tyrannical insistence of adapting to the environment in the Punjab) has to be stretched over that time. That is when it begins to lack the lustre it began with as it moves a lot slower than the time in England. Then the characters and a subplot of the brother Maneer in an engagement/marriage situation uplift the film mightily and the overall result is positive.It's a positive result but not the best. There are blemishes in the camel coloured land. Obviously not literal ones (in the sense of blemishes on appearances) which are visible to the naked eye because the location choice is brilliant; Pakistan is recreated in a realistic landscape even though it is reported that it was filmed in India. The faults of the film can be detected when observing the pace of the film. One was, like stated in the second paragraph, the pace of the plot when the family reach Pakistan. Another was Sajid. Newcomer Aqib Khan is a great substitute for Jordan Routledge as the runt of the Khan litter. But he is infected with a flaw that is his abrupt shifting between scenes. For example, we first see him heavily insult the character Zaid and mere seconds later we see him listening to his command of following him as if they have bonded as friends instantaneously. And the third was the editing decisions. The film strikes a good balance between emotion and humour but it's erratic. One – the cross cutting between Sajid and George alters between funny and serious. Two – there's a pivotal scene where both Mrs Khan's are involved in a conversation that turn their relations from heated to cordial, but it's one of the best scenes in the film.They are the main negatives of the film, as a standalone, that come into mind. Yes, it can be classed as a standalone – it isn't necessary to have seen East is East in order to grasp the story because the past events aren't recapped or looked at again but having seen East is East will enlighten the experience and an understanding of the marriage theme and the characters from that film will be on hand. West is West has a completely different story that arguably qualifies it as a standalone. It's accepted as a sequel as a bonus because of some of the recurring characters, screenwriter, and producer that were BAFTA nominated and therefore made their names in the British film industry for East is East and hence reprised their roles in West in West to create something of that great standard.West is West unfortunately isn't of the great standard set eleven years ago but that doesn't mean it isn't an enjoyable film. Whilst East is East is the more lively film, West is West is the one carried a lot more sentimentally. Despite his quick mood changes, Aqib Khan is terrific as Sajid. The classic one-liners – "Not old enough to get married so don't ask!" – have been upgraded to ones that would just be of a teenage kid's and are nailed by Khan such as "You can f*ck off and all, Mowgli!" By saying that they're of a teenage kid's, expect heavy use of swearing and not just from Sajid. The rest of the cast is brilliant, especially Om Puri as the seriously funny (oxymoron intended) George Khan. Unlike in East is East, his character develops throughout the film culminating in someone who could look back and notice a great change in himself. There is also a definite development in Sajid as he steadily learns to adapt to the Pakistani culture. The themes of the film are excellent. This time, it isn't just about marriage – it also has the themes of culture. West is West tells a story that demonstrates how we should be tolerant to the environment in the sense that we live in a multi-cultural society. People from different cultures live together and if not deeply, we should at least broadly learn to appreciate our cultural differences. An underlying theme of the film is respect – how we should respect the other cultures and people, on the whole. The dominant reason for Sajid being sent to Pakistan is to learn to respect his progenitor. Whilst it won't have the same replay value nor be as big of a word-of-mouth hit as East is East, West is West has very enjoyable content on offer that might not fulfil the expectations of those willing for it to raise the bar that East is East set for future films of the same kind, but can satisfy an audience and leave the impression of it being a good film if not great. With a heart and sheer amusement, it's certainly not a sequel flop.Verdict: "The original is always better" has become a common remark in the film industry when comparing a sequel or a remake. In this case, that is true but as a fresh film, West is West is a delight to watch. And because the original is always better, don't go in to see something on par or criticise because of the inferiority. Think of the overall film as the cinematic equivalent of a baby – it has roots but it's something new.