Theatre director Pravesh Kumar has written and directed an affectionate comedy about a dysfunctional British south Asian family. It’s a film very much in the tradition of sitcom-ish Brit movies: the comedy painted in broad strokes, warm-hearted but with an unmistakable air of naffness. It just about gets by on sheer likability and warmth for its Punjabi family living in a Slough semi.
We meet them just as eldest son Raj (Simon Rivers) does a runner after his wedding to Simmy (Rameet Rauli); she’s newly arrived from India, barely speaking a word of English. The marriage has been arranged by Raj’s overbearing mum Gurbaksh (Seema Bowri). To keep up appearances with their nosy neighbours, she confiscates Simmy’s passport and keeps her new daughter-in-law locked up in the house. I did wonder if the film is a bit lighthearted in its treatment of domestic abuse.
