Rudyard Kiplings famous words did hold true for the prequel East Is East. But the myth is broken in the second part. It was about time. The film takes off 10-15 years after the first one when all the kids have moved out and only the little Sajid remains. Remember the young boy who got castrated in the first one? Well the story is about him and his tradition-defying ways. To set him right, his father George Khan (Om Puri) takes him back to Pakistan. But once there, he himself faces the dilemma of balancing the east and the west in him.
The story has its heart in the right place but the screenplay meanders before finally picking up pace towards the last half an hour of the movie. Ayub Khan, the writer of the play and the subsequent movie East Is East wields the pen yet again to bring this delightful tale to screen. But the fun is missing. What we see is many emotional moments set against the barren backdrop and sufiana music. First time feature director Andy DeEmmony does a competent job but fails to capture the vibrancy of the sub-continent culture.
Om Puri, one of the finest actors in our country has off late managed to sleep walk through his angry old man roles. The flawed, somewhat human yet adorable George of East Is East is missing from this one. Aquib Khan who plays Sajid gives us a good case of the teenage rebel stuck in a conflicting world. But his character is too straightly written for any scope of jumping to the next level. Ila Arun as the first wife of George in Pakistan emits a subtle woman power that is characteristic of our woman. But the Punjabi accent is not quite right. Which is the case with most of the actors, especially Vijay Raj.
East Is East brought us a story which tickled and tugged at the heart strings. West Is West, though the right step in the direction fails to match up to its predecessor. But I guess thats the case with most sequels. Its a film that will hit home with the Diaspora. The Desis might be a bit disappointed. Still 3 and a half stars for old times sake.
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The story has its heart in the right place but the screenplay meanders before finally picking up pace towards the last half an hour of the movie. Ayub Khan, the writer of the play and the subsequent movie East Is East wields the pen yet again to bring this delightful tale to screen. But the fun is missing. What we see is many emotional moments set against the barren backdrop and sufiana music. First time feature director Andy DeEmmony does a competent job but fails to capture the vibrancy of the sub-continent culture.
Om Puri, one of the finest actors in our country has off late managed to sleep walk through his angry old man roles. The flawed, somewhat human yet adorable George of East Is East is missing from this one. Aquib Khan who plays Sajid gives us a good case of the teenage rebel stuck in a conflicting world. But his character is too straightly written for any scope of jumping to the next level. Ila Arun as the first wife of George in Pakistan emits a subtle woman power that is characteristic of our woman. But the Punjabi accent is not quite right. Which is the case with most of the actors, especially Vijay Raj.
East Is East brought us a story which tickled and tugged at the heart strings. West Is West, though the right step in the direction fails to match up to its predecessor. But I guess thats the case with most sequels. Its a film that will hit home with the Diaspora. The Desis might be a bit disappointed. Still 3 and a half stars for old times sake.
view less
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