Intertextuality and reception

The Ballad of East and West 

The film mentions two poems by Rudyard Kipling. One of them is The Ballad of East and West, whose opening line is partly quoted in the title of the film: East is East. The other one is Gunga Din, which appears to be Abdul’s nickname at work.

The Ballad of East and West is a poem written by Rudyard Kipling in 1889. The poem tells the story of a colonel’s son who chases after a tribal chieftain named Kamal who stole one of his father’s favorite horses. During the chase, the two men develop respect and even affection for each other. By the end, the colonel’s son wants to let Kamal keep the stolen mare as a gift. However, Kamal returns the mare, and, in an ultimate gesture of goodwill, Kamal sends his only son to fight alongside the colonel’s son, even if it means fighting against his own men and Kamal himself. The colonel’s son and Kamal’s son become blood brothers and ride together back to the British fort. The colonel’s son explains to the guards that Kamal’s son should not be seen as an enemy, but as a fellow soldier and a friend. 

The opening line in The Ballad in East and West is always used to i...