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I think this film has great moments and is genuinely funny (though not laugh a minute) and entertaining. As for believability, probably not so convincing but so what? How convincing is tosh like Independence Day? What I find annoying is the usual US comments here which display incredible ignorance. Complaints about accent, language, and most telling of all inability to follow the story (speaks volumes about their ability to follow anything but the most simple of Hollywood rubbish). For God's sake look at the film in its own right and don't judge it by how close it comes to a Tarantino. It's got nothing to do with Tarantino - it's a London film exploring London themes not a Resevoir Dogs wannabe.

And as for one US comment about Brit directors should watch less MTV - do me a favour mate, Brit directors are class, the whole world knows it (including Hollywood who regularly pay homage to the UK when not jinxed by a bout of jingoism at the Oscars). They don't need kitsch like MTV for inspiration but they would prefer a more discerning audience - in the US it appears that remains wishful thinking.

When I read the other reviews for Secrets and Lies posted here I realised almost all the other adverse comments had one thing in common - they were from Americans. It really is a shame that Hollywood has transformed film making into a commodity, so much so that when film makers dare to be different, it is not seen as refreshing but as deviating from the norm and so lacking in merit. All I can say is that those who did not like this film, display their narrow horizons rather than a discerning ability to judge films. Not everything in life should be viewed through a US-centric perspective. If you do, the class and quality of films such as S&L will inevitably be lost on you.

The main issue with S&L is that there is no wham bam screen play - it is essentially a rather 'ordinary' story with 'ordinary' characters. What carries the film is sublime acting and superb interplay/dynamic between these characters. Nobody is shot or killed, almost non-existent sex and sentimentality is kept to a minimum - these are stock Hollywood ingredients so if you can't enjoy a film without these then this is not for you. If however you can think out of your box, empathise with the characters (ignoring for a moment that the London setting might be a million miles away from you), relate to an essentially everyday themes delivered with acute and perceptive observation, then you will surely warm to this film and rate it as highly as it deserves to be.

Perhaps the most polished and accomplished of all Indian films - Pakeezah does not fall into any of the traps commonly associated with Bollywood film (ie tackiness, farce, wholesale and unsuccessful imitation of western film themes/genres). Pakeezah is indigenous to the Sub-Continent and authentic, almost Madam Butterfly-like in plot. Characters are well-developed, direction, although sometimes unrefined by today's standards, perceptive and convincing. The Urdu-speaking milieux at the time of Pakeezah were masters of understatement and how the dialogue conveys the subtleties of the age! The acting (particularly the 'looks' and the dynamic between characters) are a delight to behold although the nuances may be lost on contemporary viewers or those not acquainted with the mores and customs of Muslim India.

Coupled, with a captivating screenplay is a beautiful musical score, enhanced by the protagonist displaying eminent command of classical Indian dance (kathak). As is the case with most romantic tragedies, the heroine must die, but she does not take her leave of the audience without the viewer feeling he/she has been party to a truly memorable cinema experience. Pakeezah is surely the pinnacle of what Indian cinema has produced and is unlikely to be paralleled.