My Son the Fanatic

A Pakistani taxi driver (Om Puri) living in northern England self-destructs after he is goaded into leading a more hedonistic lifestyle by a kinky German businessman (Good Will Hunting’s Stellan Skarsgard) and has an affair with one of the prostitutes (Rachel Griffiths from Hilary and Jackie) he shuttles around town. His life is further destabilized when his son (Akbar Kurtha) embraces Islamic fundamentalism and invites a religious leader and his followers into their home. My Laundrette scribe Hanif Kureishi adapted this dark and sometimes funny tale of displacement, racism and culture clashes from his own 1994 short story.