All in Good Time is the latest offering from East is East scribe Ayub Khan-Din.  Adapted from his play Rafta, Rafta, it’s another humorous look into serious matters of south Asian culture within England.  With Nigel Cole (Made in Dagenham, Calendar Girls) in the director’s chair, the film’s weighty subject matter is balanced with charming comedic touches throughout, until the final scene that lands like a punch to the gut.

At the centre of All in Good Time are newlyweds Atul (Reece Ritchie) and Vina (Amara Karan).  Following a wedding marred by the antics of Atul’s father Eeshwar (Harish Patel) the couple find themselves stuck at his parents’ home when the honeymoon falls through.  Up to this point, All in Good Time strikes a festive and light-hearted tone, even as tensions between father and son begin to show.  However, as the film progresses Atul is unable to consummate his marriage with Vina and dramatic cracks begin to form.   Despite their efforts often being presented in an amusing light, the dark side of All in Good Time begins to rear its head and this is when it begins to excel.  Exploration of the relationship between Atul and Eeshwar is at the heart of matters, but many other issues are highlighted along the way.  It paints a fascinating portrait of Indian culture for those unfamiliar whilst adding elements that are more universal, such as insecurity-driven resentment and show that close-knit Indian communities are certainly not impervious to malicious gossip. While there is a fair share of sex jokes, All in Good Time ends up being just as much a drama as comedy, and a painfully bittersweet one at that.
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