Brick Lane

2007 1h 42m EN

😐

5.5

MID

★5.5TMDB · 45

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The grind of daily life as a Brick Lane Bangladessi as seen through the eyes of Nazneen (Chatterjee), who at 17 enters an arranged marriage with Chanu (Kaushik). Years later, living in east London with her family, she meets a young man Karim (Simpson).

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Tannishtha Chatterjee
Nazneen Ahmed
Satish Kaushik
Chanu Ahmed
Christopher Simpson
Karim
Naeema Begum
Rukshana 'Shahna' Ahmed
Lana Rahman
Bibi Ahmed
Lalita Ahmed
Mrs Islam
Harvey Virdi
Razia
Harsh Nayyar
Dr Azad

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Sarah Gavron
Writers: Laura Jones, Abi Morgan
Countries: United Kingdom, India

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 19 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, India.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Sarah Gavron, shot by Robbie Ryan. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Jocelyn Pook. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Melanie Oliver shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Tannishtha Chatterjee and Satish Kaushik and Christopher Simpson carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0940585 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 45 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Sarah Gavron directs. Robbie Ryan behind the camera. Jocelyn Pook scores. Melanie Oliver cuts. Produced in United Kingdom, India.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 19 years ago.
2International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, India.
3Directed by Sarah Gavron, shot by Robbie Ryan. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Jocelyn Pook. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Melanie Oliver shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Tannishtha Chatterjee and Satish Kaushik and Christopher Simpson carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt0940585 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 45 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Robbie Ryan
Original score: Jocelyn Pook
Editing: Melanie Oliver
Production design: Simon Elliott
Costume design: Michael O'Connor
Makeup / hair: Kirstin Chalmers
Runtime: 102 min · 1h 42m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Brick Lane (2007)

Also by

Sarah Gavron

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2025-07-19
★ 6/10
It’s 1980s London, and “Nazmeen” (Tannishtha Chatterjee) has been married to “Chanu” (Satish Kaushik) for most of her adult life. It was a marriage arranged by family, and it has seen her bring up two daughters whilst largely living within the confines of their flat, where she tailors some jeans that are sold in the local market. To say she isn’t exactly fulfilled would be an understatement, but nor is she the victim of brutality or wilful neglect. Her husband is a traditionalist, sure, but he’s also an avuncular and jolly sort of man who rather enthusiastically bumbles his way through life with a positively glass half full approach and who does care about his family. Things begin to change for her, though, when the lad who delivers the cloth to be stitched turns her head a little. “Karim” (Christopher Simpson) is a charming, good looking, young man who gradually takes the time to get to know “Nazmeen”. Of course, there are strict rules on her having unaccompanied men in her home, but each time he visits they manage to eke out a little more time with each other until… Meantime, with anti-Muslim attitudes seemingly hardening around their community, her husband is becoming keen on the idea of returning home to Bangladesh - despite the somewhat forthright views of their elder daughter (and the daftest scene of the film when he chases her round the living room wielding an half-eaten banana). Decisions are focussed by 9/11 and the resultant increase in hostility, and with this closely knit family now at a crossroads, what will they do next? It’s light-heartedness is one of it’s more redeeming features as it combines the poignancy of her loneliness with a persistently venal debt collector, an increasing zealousness pretty much across the board and her own desires for a life of her own. It’s not that she would not now choose “Chumu”, or that she would even chose “Karim” - it’s that she wants to have that choice and that her children should be able to have it too. I haven’t read the book, but I expect that as with most adaptations, the characterisations have had to suffer a little at the altar of simplicity, but as a general observation of this woman’s existence and aspirations, it delivers quite engagingly with just the odd thought-provoking element there too.

Production companies