3. Bhaji on the Beach (1993)

Language: English

Director: Gurinder Chadha

Running time: 100 mins

Starring: Kim Vithana, Sarita Khajuria, Shaheen Khan, Jimmy Harkishin

Company: Channel Four Films/Umbi Films

This zany comedy bringing together British Asian women of varying social backgrounds and age-groups on a trip to the beaches of Blackpool has attained cult status as the film which put 'Black' Asia on the map of mainstream British culture. Each of the women has a past or is looking forward towards an uncertain future and yet their personal lives are deeply rooted in the racism, sexism and intergenerational struggles of 1990s Britain. Meera Syal's witty script matched by strong performances from a large cast helps Chadha knit together fragmentary scenes from the lives of the various protagonists to create a cinematic tapestry that is marked by charms and intrigues befitting an engaging kitty party game of rummy on a lazy weekend afternoon. Syal and Chadha have gone on to bigger things since then and many of the stereotypes explored in the film have been elaborated further in shows like 'Goodness Gracious Me'.