The marginalised cultures of Thatcher’s Britain are the subject of this great film from Stephen Frears (Prick Up Your Ears) and writer Hanif Kureishi (“The Buddha Of Suburbia”, “The Black Album”). My Beautiful Laundrette also saw the star-birth of Daniel Day Lewis, who won a New York Film Critics Circle Award for his performances here and in A Room With A View.

Omar (Gordon Warnecke) is an ambitious Pakistani Briton saddled with looking after his bedridden alcoholic father (Roshan Seth) in a depressing bedsit that overlooks a busy train line, where Omar’s mother has recently leapt to her death. Omar’s louche uncle Nasser (Saeed Jeffrey) offers his nephew some work washing cars in one of his many businesses, and once Omar shows some spark, Nasser promotes him to manage one of his run down laundrettes. Nasser’s son Salim (Derrick Branche) also hires Omar as a drug runner, and major trouble is afoot when Omar knicks one of Salim’s deals in order to finance a profitable refurbishment of the laundrette.

Omar in turn hires his wayward lover Johnny (Day Lewis) to help run the laundrette, which they rename POWDERS and luxe to bits with neon lights, an aquarium and the latest high-tech sound system. Johnny’s punk gang won’t let him go, and they bitterly attack him, Omar and the laundrette, while Nasser’s fiery daughter Tania (Rita Wolf) wants to fall in love with Omar, Johnny, or anyone else who can rescue her from an arranged marriage and a life of spousal obedience.

My Beautiful Laundrette is a film of great humour, deep regret, and an incisive view of Eighties London which never topples into polemic or left-wing sentiment. The characters of My Beautiful Laundrette are all in the process of migrating – countries or classes - or reflecting on migration that has gone partially right, and partially wrong. There’s not a sense of hopelessness hanging over the film which is instead a compelling study of the opening membranes of the British class system and the post-Empire multicultural urban jungle.

The acting is outstanding, with Gordon Warnecke a most charming artful dodger, Day Lewis a sexy gay punk, and most especially Saeed Jeffrey as a corrupt but loveable mini-tyrant. In smaller roles, Shirley Anne Field as Nasser’s mistress Rachel and Rita Wolf as Tania are also outstanding. Every member of the cast captures their delicate characterisations with intelligence, passion and flair.

Though made for television, My Beautiful Laundrette never feels cramped or small. Indeed, when the lights go up on POWDERS for the very first time, it feels like the first day of summer in a friendly part of town, and for a couple of scenes, the warmth and heart of the movie makes us completely forget we’re watching a gritty and quite bloody tragedy about disenfranchised outsiders caught out of time and place.