‘East Is East’ to be a trilogy: Producer

ABU DHABI - “East Is East”, the heartwarming story of an Asian family settled in London, will end as a trilogy, says producer Leslee Udwin who released part two “West Is West” last month.

“I knew there was trilogy and it took 10 years for Ayub (writer Ayub Khan-Din) to deliver the script of the second part. Now I know there is a third part to this film. I don’t want to talk about the plot because they have to happen with the integrity of the process. And anyway, I don’t want to give things away now,” Udwin said at the Abu Dhabi film festival.

She says that the story’s setting would depend on the writer Ayub, but if she will have her way she will like it to be placed in Britain.

“What I want to see is Pakistani characters coming back — coming for the first time to this strange society in UK. Now there is a truce in the Khan family because George has mellowed and he has learnt deep personal lessons, I will also love to see what comes out of that. I want to see George Khan shake hand with the gay boyfriend of his son,” she added.

Set in 1971, director Damien O’Donnell wielded the megaphone for “East is East” to narrate Ayub’s story about a Pakistani migrant George Khan, played by Om Puri, who expects his family to follow Pakistani Muslim ways. But his children, with an English mother and having been born and brought up in Britain, increasingly see themselves as British and reject his suggestions.

The film was released in 2000 and after a decade has come the second part titled “West is West”, but with some changes. Puri reprises his role as George, but this time the story takes place in Punjab province in Pakistan and Ila Arun joins the cast.

Andy DeEmmony has directed part two which was again penned by Ayub.

“West is West gets much deeper, profound film and much more material film. It delivers the same comedy and the same sensibility. It is just as just entertaining and even more uplifting, but bit more balanced,” said Udwin.

Though part two has come after a decade, she feels it’s the right time to release a movie.

“Now is the very important time to release the film. We are living in a time when human beings have the greatest propensities to demonise one another, to generalise in a negative about whole nation of people. The extremists in a society have nothing to do with the real and general people who are good.

“This is the time when this film should be seen by the widest possible audiences as it addresses our cause,” she said.

Puri, who returns as a more mellowed George Khan in the second installment where he has to confront both his wives on the same platform, says he never thought there will be sequels to “East Is East”.

“No, when we finished ‘East Is East’, there was no talk that we would be shooting a sequel to the film. It may be in Leslee’s mind, but it was not shared, at least I don’t remember that she was planning to do ‘West Is West,” he said.