Curry Mile

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Photograph of the 'Curry Mile' at nighttime
Photograph of the 'Curry Mile' at nighttime

The Curry Mile is a nickname for the part of Wilmslow Road running through Rusholme in Manchester, England. The name is earned from the large number of South Asian restaurants along the road, thought to be the largest concentration outside of the Indian subcontinent.[citation needed] Although less than a mile the road boasts at least seventy restaurants, take-aways and kebab houses.

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[edit] Uniqueness

What makes the Curry Mile different from other collections of Indian restaurants is that the streets are alive and populated well into the early hours of the morning.

[edit] Eid

Considering the cultural niche, in the past there was a surprising lack of Asian diners in Rusholme, the majority being made up of students and white young professionals.[citation needed] However, over the last few years there has been a considerable increase in the number of Asian families visiting the area for meals.[citation needed] Each year, the Eid festival celebrations transform the Curry Mile into a night-time party, although sadly sometimes a small minority of festival goers have caused trouble and spoiled the colourful atmosphere. In recent years, police presence around the mile during this period has been high, and zero-tolerance has become the strategy used for the disruptive youths.

[edit] Other features

Also situated along the mile are a variety of Asian fashion, grocery and music shops, and the flavour of Asian cultural influence permeates most enterprises. The traditional and relaxing pastime of smoking Sheesha (the Middle-Eastern water pipe) has seen popularity in the area. Sheesha holds a long and historic tradition in Arabia popular with royalty and public alike. Sheesha is available in many weird and wonderful flavours, from the usual apple and strawberry to coffee, chocolate and Coca Cola flavours. It is usually shared by a group of friends accompanied by mint tea, budget cider or poppers, popular amongst Mancunian youths.

Rusholme also has several traditional English pubs along the curry mile, which cater to locals and university students including Hardy's Well, The Whitworth, The Huntsman Inn and The Clarence. These tend to have no Asian influence whatsoever, and stand out in stark contrast to the neighbouring buildings.

[edit] The Curry Mile on Film

In 1996, Aneel Ahmad and Faisal A. Qureshi wrote Movin As A Massive a Channel 4 Documentary written for the Lloyds Bank Film Challenge.

"Movin As A Massive was the winner of the 1996 Race in the Media Award for Best Youth Programme. Nominated by the RTS in 1996 for Most Innovative Film/Video and winner of the Channel 4/Lloyds Bank Film Challenge. Directed by Ninder Billing and produced by Andy Porter and Madeline French for Compulsive Viewing.

A semi-sequel, Wimmy Road, was later written for BBC Radio Drama by Faisal A. Qureshi and directed by Nadia Molinari. It was nominated for a Race in the Media Award for Best Radio Drama.

[edit] The Curry Mile - The Novel

[edit] Launch

On November the 2nd, 2000, Suitcase Press a Manchester based publishing company launched a novel entitled "The Curry Mile" written by Manchester based novelist, "Zahid Hussain". The debut novel was also the first book published by Suitcase Press. "The Curry Mile" is set on Wilmslow Road, also knows as the "Curry Mile", in the Rusholme area of Manchester. The novel is a piece of urban realism written in dual narrative. It charts the lives of a Pakistani family in the restaurant trade.


[edit] Movin As a Massive - Film Director Aneel Ahmad's path into the Industry

Curry Mile Documentary 1996 - Lloyds Bank Film Challenge Movin as a Massive 10 minute short film.

Movin as a Massive - Contributors H, Fitz, Fatty, Naveed - Were all school friends of the film director Aneel Ahmad. They all attended Burnage High School for Boys and came from poor working class Asian backgrounds. This short documentary was Ahmad's path into the Industry.[1] The whole Eid festival scene started in the 1990's.

Young British Pakistani's would hire cars to celebrate the Eid Festival. These second generation youths generally came from laboured backgrounds and pretty much lived in poor inner city areas of Manchester. At the beginning hiring cars was a form of escapism from their lives and hardship. Today Eid and Wilmslow road has become a UK event attracting British Muslims from all around the uk.

Trivia - Most of the contributors who appeared in Movin as a Massive are Ahmad's good friends and when shooting commenced Ahmad directed most of scenes on Wilmslow Road which included all the stunts. Without Ahmad Movin as a Massive would never have been made and there were problems and mistrust on location with the contributors and the director Ninder Billings. The information is correct.[2]


[edit] Reviews

Rachel Hore fromThe Guardian newspaper wrote, "Sparky characters, exuberant idiom and rich detail combine to make this an enjoyable slice of Desi life, Manchester style".

Ziauddin Sardar named "The Curry Mile" as one of the Books of the Year in New Statesman Magazine and wrote "The Curry Mile by Zahid Hussain (Suitcase Press) tells the story of a young, rebellious Muslim woman who is forced to rescue her father's restaurant business in Manchester's Asian area. Squabbling families with overbearing fathers, neighbourhood business feuds, charlatan mystics, music and mayhem - all human life is there".

[edit] References

  1. ^ www.aneelahmad.co.uk
  2. ^ www.myspace.com/aneelahmad

[edit] External links

Film director Aneel Ahmad's Official Website http://www.aneelahmad.co.uk/