Amir is an illegal Pakistani immigrant smuggled into England in the 1960's to work, to send money to his family and perhaps even bring them over with him. A skilled laborer, he is forced to do unskilled work like shoveling sheep dung and processing wool. He lives in a boarding house with nearly a dozen other men, under the supervision of Hussein Shah. He befriends a young student, Sakib, who dreams of being a writer. Their existence is punctuated by secret movies, a visiting prostitute, fear of detection and deportation, and the gangster-like smuggler who comes by for his take every week. The household is shaken up by the arrival of a white girl, Shah's girlfriend, and the sense of femininity and family she brings.
Om Puri
as Hussein Shah
Angeline Ball
as Mary
Ace Bhatti
as Irshad
Bhasker Patel
as Gholam
Pavan Malhotra
as Amir
Pravesh Kumar
as Sakib
Badi Uzzaman
as Old Ram
Harmage Singh Kalirai
as Sher Baz
Kumall Grewal
as Akbar Dal
Marc Anwar
as Raja (as Omar Salimi)
Pal Aron
as Zamara
Shiv Grewal
as Shona Mian
