Alim (Jimi Mistry), whose belief that Grant is his personal angel grows out of his love of old movies, is a handsome film-studio still photographer who shares a charming London row house with his companion, Giles (Kristen Holden-Ried), a UNICEF economist. They live a near-idyllic existence — until Alim's mother, Nuru (Suleka Mathew), visits from Toronto.

"Touch of Pink" marks the feature debut of Rashid, a successful London-based TV director. It takes a while for Rashid to discover the right pace and rhythm, but the overall result is diverting yet provocative, and Rashid is as strong a director of actors as he is a writer capable of creating complex, multifaceted characters.

Nuru is a beautiful, chic woman who comes across as bossy, tactless and racist. Where Alim sees his mother as a hopelessly narrow-minded Muslim, Giles sees in her an intelligent woman capable of enlightenment — if approached with care.