Controversial British Asian gangster film out on DVD
(20 April 2010)

Six years after its theatrical release, controversial British Asian gangster film 'Triads, Yardies and Onion Bhajees' will finally get released on DVD on 20th April 2010. On its original release in 2004, Triads, Yardies and Onion Bhajees was the first entirely shot on a camcorder to get a UK cinema release. The budget of the film was less than £1000. The film is directed by Sarjit Bains who most recently directed the comedy Cash and Curry (2009) and stars Manish Patel (Cash & Curry, Chopratown) as the hitman ‘Singh’ who is on a mission to track down six million dollars stolen from London’s Heathrow Airport. Along the way Patel’s character confronts various gangsters from rival gangs such as the Asian Holy Smokes, the Jamaican Yardies, the Chinese Triads and the English Firm.

Back in 2004, in an unprecedented move, weeks before Triads, Yardies and Onion Bhajees' national release at mainstream cinemas, Southall Police and Piara Khabra MP (Labour, Ealing & Southall) hit out at Sarjit Bains, the director of the film accusing him of glorifying gang violence. Khabra and Southall Police condemned the film in the press and on radio, stating: "This film will upset people who have suffered from the real Holy Smokes gang's activity..." Piara Khabra MP (Labour, Ealing & Southall)

As a result of Khabra's and Southall Police's 11th hour intervention, Triads, Yardies and Onion Bhajees was denied a mainstream theatrical release. Instead, arthouse and independent cinemas throughout the UK picked up the gauntlet and defied calls to ban the film. "This film was denied a mainstream release and that is scandalous. It was made for less than £1,000 and puts many big budget studios to shame. We should be celebrating British films not trying to ban them. Politicians should keep out of film making and stick to fiddling expenses," comments Patel.

Another well known face who stars in the film is ex real life gangster Dave Courtney (Hell to Pay) who plays a screen version of himself called Mad Dave, boss of the cockney East end mob The Firm. Courtney praises the film, saying "It was a pleasure to be part of a unique era in British films. The makers of this film proved it wasn't about the budget, it was about the story and this film delivers by the bucketful. A bloody big bucketful of blood as it happens!"

The film was screened at the National Museum of Film and Television in Bradford where it won Best Picture at the Bite The Mango Film Festival. Screenings also took place at the Phoenix Cinema (Leicester), the MAC (Birmingham), the Metro (Derby), the Pictureville (Bradford), the Rio (East London), the Broadway (Nottingham) and several other independent and arthouse cinemas throughout the UK. Finally, after it's record breaking run at the legendary Prince Charles Cinema in London's Leicester Square, Triads, Yardies and Onion Bhajees will at long last be available on DVD from 20 April 2010.

"I am just relieved that six years after an elected Member of Parliament and the police scuppered our chance of a mainstream release that the film will finally be available to view by a wider audience. There are so many violent films out there so why they chose to call for my film to be banned is a total mystery. I think Khabra was trying to appease the so-called Asian community elders who for the most part are unelected themselves! This film is just entertainment with the Asian gang in the film named after a real-life Asian gang (The Holy Smokes) that no longer exist," said the films director, Sarjit Bains.

Triads, Yardies and Onion Bhajees will be available from 20 April 2010.