WEST IS WEST To Hit Indian Theatres After Huge Success In UK
By FNN | March 5, 2011, 9:00am IST
A big hearted and hilarious film well worth the wait…West is West sequel to groundbreaking English film East is East starring Om Puri is all set to hit Indian theatres come April 2011. Last Friday February 25, it had a strong opening at the UK box office. West is West that had a weekend box office of a little over 1.2 million usd (INR 5.5 cr) on 184 screens in with a per screen average of over 6600 USD. The film beat releases like romcom No Strings Attached, starring Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman and action movie Drive Angry starring Nicolas Cage. Worldwide sales agent Icon Film distribution has chosen 52 Weeks Entertainment Inc for the India distribution.
“In East is East George was caught up in two cultures – Pakistani and British. Now in West is West he is caught up between two relationships,†says Om Puri, the veteran actor who played George. “I really enjoyed playing these emotions.â€
Leslee Udwin, producer for West is West (also East is East) "There were 2 territories in which the choice of distributor was of great importance to me. The UK and India/Pakistan; partly because I know the film will perform superbly in the territories if correctly handled, and partly because the team of actors and crew come from those countries and so I felt a big responsibility there. I knew instinctively that Suniel Wadhwa was THE distributor for this film due to his sensibilities and a clinching moment was when I took him into the cutting room and showed him a few of the work-in-progress scenes of the film to gauge his reaction to them. He laughed heartily at the funny scenes and, yes, he cried in the more serious scene I showed him. It was then that I knew he and the film were a great fit. In the past he has also handled similar cross over films. And I am thrilled to entrust my precious 'baby' to him."
Says Suneil Wadha, 52 Week Entertainment Inc, "WEST IS WEST is the sequel to the internationally acclaimed film "EAST IS EAST", a ground-breaking film which broke cultural barriers around the world. Like its predecessor the sequel has opened to a phenomenal response in UK this week with opening weekend box office of 1.2 million USD. As a strategy, in India the film is set for an April release along with the North America & Canada. The timing of the India release is in keeping with the World Cup and Exams time. As these kind of films grow with word of mouth for which you would require time. A deferred release helps the movie to rid on the international box office success and reviews.
West is West, same family, different country, a lot more baggage, is written by Ayub Khan (also the writer for East is East), based on and inspired by autobiographical events, and produced by the same creative team. Here, the sequel takes the Khan family on a journey from Salford, England to rural Pakistan. West is West is as much the coming of age story of 13-year-old Sajid as of his father, 60-year-old George (‘Ghengis’) Khan. George, in a last attempt to make a good Muslim and a good son of him decides to pack Sajid off to his first wife and family in the Punjab, whom he had abandoned 30 years earlier. In the process the tables are turned on George when he comes face to face with his own transgressions, and realizes that it is he himself who has much to learn.
Written by Ayub Khan-Din (BAFTA winner), directed by Andy De Emmony (BAFTA nominated) and produced by Leslee Udwin (BAFTA winner), West is West stars Linda Bassett, Jimi Mistry, Emil Marwa, Ila Arun, Lesley Nicoll, Vijay Raaz and introduces the cocky and lovable Aqib Khan. And once again Om Puri holds ground as the tyrannical patriarch as only he can. The music of the film is by Shankar-Eshaan-Loy & Rob lane
WEST IS WEST has been acclaimed and applauded across international festivals last year winning the audience choice award at the London Film festival (Oct 2010), the film has its world premier at a gala screening at the Toronto Film Festival (Sept 2010), was the opening film at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) (Dec 2010) besides being at the gala at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival (Oct 2010) and the Dublin Film Festival – (Feb 2011)
The original film ‘East is East’ won upwards of 36 international awards (including the BAFTA, Indian Film Festival Award, and Special Prize at Cannes where it played to a standing ovation in official selection of Director’s Fortnight). Beloved of audiences around the world, this has been a dazzling cross-over British film, which has also become something of a classic, and is even a set book on the curriculum of some European schools
52 Weeks Entertainment Inc., a Motion picture distribution organization in India has regaled audiences in 2010 across selected part of circuits as per film trade with memorable films from Bollywood & Hollywood films like Ishqiya , Hurt Locker – (Mysore), Inception, I Hate Luv Stories – (Gujarat), Tere Bin Laden – ( All India), Robot – ( CP Berar ), Yamla Pagla Deewana and Patiala House amongst others in circuits like Central Province – Vidharbha, Chattisgarh .
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