West Is West - Om Puri interview
Interview by Rob Carnevale
OM PURI talks about going back to the character of George Khan in East Is East sequel West Is West. He talks about the psychology of his character and why he doesn’t see him as a demon. And he discusses working with a new director and young actor Aqib Khan…
Q. Was it difficult getting back into the character of George 10 years on?
Om Puri: It wasn’t surprisingly because it was still fresh in mind even though it’s been over 10 years. The only thing I had to recall was the accent, because it was coined. It was not really northern. It had to be a mixture because I thought George had learned it from his wife because he’s not an educated guy, so he picked up his English from his wife.
Q. Do you have to think about what George’s life had been like in the five years since East Is East had ended?
Om Puri: That’s an interesting question. I suppose his struggle and his pain, so that he eventually took the decision to go back to Pakistan because he’s not able to handle the youngest one. We’ve seen that he’s going from bad to worse, because he’s been arrested for shoplifting and that really frightens him and he decides to take him to Pakistan.
Q. Do you think audiences will understand George more from having seen the two films now?
Om Puri: Yes, definitely. They will see the other aspect of George, who is capable of emotions, and who will also appear as a human. Perhaps in East is East they would have been a bit confused whether to hate him or love him. That’s why I wanted to clear that confusion up because I don’t consider George to be a demon.
Q. Why?
Om Puri: Because of what he must have been doing for the interim five years, which is not in the script. My thinking was after reading the script that if George was like the way he is in the film, then his English wife, who is educated, and who has been brought up in a very broad minded society, would not have taken him lying down. She would have left him long ago and they wouldn’t have six children together. So therefore it made me think about why he behaves the way he does. At the beginning of East Is East, for instance, he is a very proud man who is about to see his son get married, only to see the son run away from the marriage ceremony in front of the entire community. That is devastating and humiliating for him because during that period in the ‘70s it was very important to cling on to the community. Today, you can afford to be out of the community because you are independent. But at that time there was a certain amount of racism, which doesn’t exist today.
Today, Asians are very much part of British mainstream society. So, now he has to handle his other children and he doesn’t have a voice. He cannot argue with them because they are school-going children, they are more aware, they are more articulate and he is not as articulate as them. Therefore, he uses his fist and his physicality to handle and control them. That’s the only weapon he has. So, that was my interpretation of the character. But also, since I knew that he was not like this before I wanted to bring in some element of humanity. But the growth only really begins at the end of East Is East as far as George is concerned and in West Is West we see that growth further going on.
Q. How much shame do you think George feels about not going back to his first wife and marrying an English woman for his second?
Om Puri: Well, in Islam, in Muslim community, four wives are legally allowed. So, that gives him a licence to have two wives. Now, you have to look after those two wives, which he’s been doing in the sense that he keeps sending money home. This tradition is no longer relevant today, but some traditions linger on even though they’ve lost their meaning. So, during the Medieval period, because of wars, men used to get killed so the ratio of women was much more than men. So, therefore, the rule was that a man could adopt four wives so that the women are looked after and have some sense of economic security.
Q. Do you think the portrayal of Pakistan in 1975 was accurate?
Om Puri: I think so. My first visit to this country was in 1984 and it was not even as comfortable as it is now. I’ve been working here for almost 12 or 13 years but ’84 was very different. The Tube stations were very frightening because you still have skinheads around, which was very threatening. And the Asian community is doing pretty well now. But I personally feel that the Asian community doesn’t make an effort to assimilate themselves socially, which is quite a pity. They must make an attempt to appreciate the culture. I don’t like people keeping their distance. I mean, a few people are doing it. I know a few people who are more eduation and more liberal.
Q. What was it like reuniting with your former colleagues on East Is East?
Om Puri: Well, it was wonderful o have Linda Bassett back. She’s a brilliant actress and a wonderful human being, as is Lesley Nicol.
Q. And what was it like working with young Aqib Khan?
Om Puri: He was a surprise item. He’s very bright, very focused. It was amazing to see him. He didn’t fumble, he wasn’t nervous and he seems like a born actor. He could adapt, he was very quick at grasping things and he was totally comfortable with all of us.
Q. Did you feel paternal to him on set?
Om Puri: Oh yes, he’s very loveable! We used to meet after the shooting, we shared a lot of meals together and at times he was a little cheeky. He does have a good sense of humour as a person as well. It was fun working with him.
Q. Did you have long to bond as father and son beforehand?
Om Puri: As an actor I always do that. I did that for East Is East as well. I was staying in Holland Park in an apartment during that film and I suggested that one day before we started filming I wanted to inivte my entire family to my apartment so that we could spend the whole day together – we’d go shop, cook a meal together and share a meal together. It brought us close to each other. We had a drink together and everyone participated in cooking. At midnight, Damien came. He was not allowed initially but he came with a bottle of champagne, which we opened and shared. So, it became a family bond.
Q. And what did Andy DeEmmony bring as the new director?
Om Puri: Well, initially when I heard that Damien O’Donnell wasn’t doing the film I was a little disappointed because Damien did a wonderful job with East Is East. But for whatever reasons they didn’t have him do it. But then I met Andy and he was a very nice man, very gentle, and then we started working and I realised he was equally brilliant. Damien was more boyish because he’s much younger than Andy, but Andy has great qualities as a director. By that I mean Andy is a director who does not demonstrate you how to do it, but he inspires you. He explains things to you and creates an atmosphere around you.
One incident that occurred involved one of the elderly actors, who forgot his lines so that he couldn’t remember a single one. He was very, very nervous. Apparently, he had done well in his audition but something went wrong that day. So, we waited for about an hour on location. I was waiting for Andy to lose his cool. But surprisingly he did not. He was very cool about it. He spoke to the guy and tried to relax him, tried to tell him to take his time and not to worry. He suggested doing small pieces of his lines. But nothing worked, so eventually he asked someone to bring him a big piece of paper and he wrote his lines and held them next to the camera. He said: “Don’t worry, just read out these lines as if you were talking to somebody.” And it worked. It doesn’t show in the film. At no point, was there any kind of friction between him and the camera-man. It was like they were husband and wife [laughs].
Q. Both East Is East and West Is West have been successful films. Do you think the Arts Council cuts will have an impact on the availability of such small films? Are films like this at risk?
Om Puri: Yes, definitely. It was very hard to raise money for this sequel but fortunately the BBC came forward and supported the film. British cinema produces good, meaningful films and it will be a pity if government support is not there. This kind of cinema every country needs to support because it is a very important medium in that it creates a social awareness. It deals with social problems. I mean, if they can support television why should they not support cinema?
Q. Is there going to be a third film?
Om Puri: Well, they’re still wondering what to do, but yes. My personal feeling is that gradually the family will accept each other and perhaps the Pakistani wife will visit England. Maybe George will be ill and won’t be as mobile. Maybe he doesn’t work. Many things can happen. But I think making the family come together would be a good idea and allowing them to have their way.
Read our review of West Is West
Read our interview with Aqib Khan
West is West is released in UK cinemas on Friday, February 25, 2011.