Controversy over the film Brick Lane arose again yesterday with news that Prince Charles had cancelled his attendance at its Royal Gala screening.

The film adaptation of Monica Ali's book faced protests in July last year from some residents of Brick Lane. It eventually finished filming a month later.

A Royal Gala screening was scheduled for October 29th as part of the London Film Festival but it has now been scrapped.

A spokesperson for Clarence House admitted to the Times today that Prince Charles was unable to make it because of the controversy surrounding the film as well as the royal couple's busy schedule.

"Obviously there has been quite a lot of controversy about that film which everyone was aware of. ... The appropriateness of the film chosen is important but so is the date. It is a mixture of both reasons."

The decision was slammed by Parminder Vir OBE, who said it was "very sad". "This plays into the hands of people who want us to live in fear of immigration and Islam. Showing this film would not damage anyone. It is not a film about race but about one woman's struggle in a new country. She just happens to be a Muslim from Bangladesh."

"The cast and crew of the film were excited at the recognition for their work and are now understandably disappointed," the movie's director, Sarah Gavron, told Variety magazine. "The clear message from audiences once they have seen the film is that it is absolutely not disrespectful or controversial in any way."

She added: "None of those elements cited by the minority of protesters during the production period appear in the film."

Monica Ali's debut novel was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2003. It follows the life of a young girl from a village in Bangladesh, Nazneen, who moves to London at age 17 for an arranged marriage. The film focuses on a single year to illustrate how, now as an older mother of two daughters, found her strength and identity after years of self-sacrifice.

Tazneen is played by Bengali actress Tannishtha Chatterjee (pictured), has previously starred in other features including Strings and Shadows of Time (originally German).

The main lead character is played by Christopher Simpson, who also starred in Zadie Smith's television adaptation of White Teeth.

The protests last year were spearheaded by local Brick Lane business Abdus Salique. He told the Guardian newspaper that Monica Ali was "not one of us" and had "insulted us". He later threatened protests, book burnings and even hinted at violence, vowing that they would do "anything it takes" to stop the filming.

However, other residents of Brick Lane told AIM magazine at the time that the protests were being blown out of proportion by the media.

"Half of them [protesting] haven't even read the bloody book! They've just heard a few pieces about racial inter-mixing and what not, and now they're throwing up a fuss. Brick Lane is a big area and it's very political. There lots of different people with different attitudes and voices," a local media executive said.

Another local resident, Abdul Goffur, told AIM magazine that the protest was "blown out of proportion".

Brick Lane will now premiere at the London film festival on October 26. Last year's Royal Film Performance was Casino Royale.


Credits
Nazneen: Tannishtha Chatterjee
Chanu: Satish Kaushik
Karim: Christopher Simpson
Razia: Harvey Virdi
Mrs. Islam: Lalita Ahmed
Shahana: Naeema Begum
Bibi: Lana Rahman
Director: Sarah Gavron; Screenwriters: Abi Morgan, Laura Jones