*Note: I did not see the prequel East is East, but this film is self-contained and I was perfectly able to watch it on it's own.

Set in 1970's England, West is West is a story about a family with a Pakistani Father and a Caucasian Mother. Aqib Khan plays Sajid, who is a budding teenager going through a tough time in his life. He is being bullied at school, waging war with his parents, and stealing things while he plays hooky. In order to straighten him out Sajid's father George played by Om Puri, takes him back to his ethnic roots in Pakistan.

As soon as they get off the plane Sajid aggressively resists his new surroundings. Wanting nothing more than to return back home to his English life Sajid drags his feet hating the clothes, the people, and especially the fact that his house is without plumbing. However, slowly though the help of a friendship and a wise guru Sajid learns to calm his heart and appreciate his Pakistani identity.

The father George in tandem has issues of his own. For 20 plus years he has lived a double life leaving behind his 1st Pakistani wife and some children. Neglected most of their lives the only thing his Pakistani family have received over the decades are checks in the mail and the occasional scribblings on paper. Withered and aged George's Pakistani wife wishes George had never returned to reignite her conflicting feelings of obligation and resentment.

This film is as much about George as it is about Sajid but there are also a host of other characters in this film with stories of their own. There is George's English wife who must reconcile with her Pakistani alternate. A task seemingly impossible when words traveling to each other can only amount to gibberish. There is also another one of George's sons who cannot arrange a marriage for the fear that he too will leave his Pakistani wife just like his father.

During the first twenty minutes of the film I got a little scared that I'd be sitting through a 100 minutes of overhanded moments of characters crying and yelling about how they struggle with culture clashes. However West is West is filled with funny moments of cultural miscommunication and touching moments of reconnection. There are plenty of laughs and most audiences will find themselves smiling at the end of the film.

The acting is good and at some moments moving. The cinematography, editing and music are all fairly well done. You won't be knocked out of seat with laughter, but you definitely won't feel as though you've suffered. Although a little formulaic West is West is a great film that is able to maintain a nice balance of lightness with the serious and depressing issue of family separation.

Who this film is not for: -Very serious movie goers who like sharp and determined stances on culture clashes. -People not interested in ethnic stories of immigration.

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.