East is East

Set in 1971, East is East is a film about George Khan, a Pakistani expatriate, whose assertion of strict Muslim rules upon his family is resisted by his English born children. George is married to a British woman, Ella, and has seven children, six sons and one daughter. Although a comedic drama, the film delves into the subjugation of women in Islam, the importance of family honour, the struggle between Islamic and British values, and the disgraceful nature of homosexuality in Islam.

The film begins with the Khan family’s preparation for the arranged marriage of their eldest son, Nadir. After his future wife’s veil is lifted, only to reveal a beautiful Pakistani woman, Nadir runs out of the Mosque. George is ashamed, and though at first it is unknown as to why Nadir fled his wedding, the film later reveals that Nadir is gay. When complimented on his six sons, George aggressively replies that he only has five sons, because one has died. George’s disowning of Nadir is vital in understanding the perpetuated stereotype of Muslims as homophobes. George disowns his son because he has disgraced the family name. To him Nadir is dead. However, unlike George who has zero communication with Nadir, Ella and the rest of the children continue to speak to him, though only by telephone. Although homosexuality is controversial in Islam, the way in which O’Donnell chose to represent Nadir as a homosexual is exaggerated. In his return towards the end of the film, Nadir is portrayed as a raging stereotypical gay man, who wears tight bell bottoms, heels, speaks in a feminine tone and works in his French boyfriend’s hair salon. There is a clear division in how Nadir’s homosexuality is treated by the family. George disowns him, but the other sons continue to seek Nadir’s support against their father. The sons’ acceptance to their brother’s homosexuality is due to the fact that they were raised British, and thus more open minded when it comes to such traditionally taboo issues. The varying response to Nadir’s homosexuality is indicative of the old world versus new world struggle that permeates the Kahn family.

George, though a hardworking man, is portrayed as the typical Muslim husband who physically and verbally abuses his wife. Throughout the course of the film George constantly belittles his wife with words like “bloody bitch”. Ella who appears to be a typical strong, robust, chain-smoking British woman, accepts the abuse as a normal occurrence. Though she occasionally speaks back to George, her position in the household is second to George. Ella’s role in the film is interesting because she has adopted the role of a traditional Muslim housewife, and despite her chain smoking and habitual cursing, she executes the role quite well. The most stereotypical portrayal of the abusive Muslim husband is towards the end of the film when George, after having discovered that his sons have destroyed the chest containing traditional Pakistani wedding dress for their surprise arranged marriages, beats his one son and Ella. George’s violence throughout the course of the film, whether he is pulling his youngest son’s hair, cursing at his wife, or directly beating her, perpetuates the stereotype that Muslim men are ‘wife beaters’.

George’s failure to instill Islamic rules in his children is illustrative of the struggle between Islamic and western lifestyles. His children who were raised to follow Islamic dietary law, are shown devouring pork sausages and bacon. The two eldest sons sneak out of their home to attend discos, drink alcohol and engage in sexual relationships with British girls. The discovery of the youngest son’s uncircumcised penis, or as George calls it, “tickle-tackle”, sends outrage throughout the local Mosque. Sajid, who is 7 years old, is forced to get a circumcision because otherwise he will bring further shame to his family. This is of course a comedic scene as circumcision occurs immediately after birth. However, amidst the humour, this scene reveals just how important adherence to Islamic law is for George.

The most controversial scene in East is East is when George’s two sons discover that their father has planned surprise-arranged marriages for both of them. After having heard the news, Tariq, one of George’s sons, opens George’s chest with garments that are to be worn at the wedding. He rips the cloths, breaks two watches, and causes an utter mess. Tariq and his brother refuse to marry two strange women their father has picked for them. They want to marry for love. This defiance of Pakistani-Muslim tradition leads to Ella’s beating, as she is blamed for her sons’ disobedience and disrespect towards their father.




East is East (1999)
Comedy/Drama
96 Minutes
Cast:
George Khan- Om Puri
Ella Khan- Linda Bassett
Sajid Khan- Jordan Routledge
Meenah Khan- Archie Panjabi
Tariq Khan- Jimi Mistry
Auntie Annie- Lesley Nicol
Director: Damien O’Donnell
Writer: Ayub Khan-Din