Jenni Carroll

What would you do for the cause of true love and a case of vodka? In Chicken Tikka Masala, the first film from Seven Spice Productions, the answer is, marry a gay man.

Jimi (Chris Bisson), the only son of a traditional Indian family, is marrying Simran in seven days. The only problem is, Jimi has been living with his lover Jack for the past three years.

The weight of his parents' expectations lie heavy on Jimi's shoulders and he cannot bear to bring shame on his family by not agreeing to the marriage and telling his parents he is gay.

It takes a seven-year-old girl to sort out all the world's problems, but not before Jimi almost marries Jack's dipsomaniac, promiscuous auntie, Vanessa (Sally Bankes) in exchange for vodka and the chance to see her nephew happy.

Bankes almost steals the show, with a magnificent portrayal of an alcoholic, melancholic northerner just looking to get through life with as little fuss as possible.

But it is when she comes up against Jimi's dad (Saeed Jaffrey) and his grandmother (Zohra Sehgal) that the cultural tensions and differences are really brought to life with comic effect. The traditional melting pot that has brought us Britain's favourite dish, chicken tikka masla, is thrown into a maelstrom from which, it seems it may never recover. But nothing can stand in the way of true love, not even a case of vodka.

Bisson on the other hand seemed at odds with his character, at times over-acting and at others developing a southern accent that was out of keeping with his Preston-born character. The overall effect was rather uncomfortable and left you feeling little sympathy for Jimi's predicament.

Chicken Tikka Masala premiered at UCI Trafford Centre on Tuesday.

8/10 - Yet another film that deals with arranged marriage and its predicaments - there have got to be more subject matters out there.