Directed by Raj Kaur Bilkhu and Updesh Singh, with Gurdev Singh, The Rise of Mixy chronicles the rise of desi pubs in the West Midlands and how they became hubs of Indian food, Punjabi music, and communal life. The film links the institutions’ beginnings to a history of discrimination: when South Asian workers arrived in England, many pubs refused them entry, pushing them to build social spaces of their own. Since then, desi pubs have grown across the region and beyond, serving as gathering spots for multiple generations and communities while preserving a strong link to heritage. The documentary premiered at the Birmingham Forward Film Festival in July, and Singh described the project as a journey of discovery: "We frequent these places a lot and we wanted to share the culture of them with others," he said. "We didn't know the origins of how they came about, so it was a journey of discovery for us too."
Historically, the film notes, South Asian men in the 1960s and 70s faced racism and were refused entry to pubs, sometimes encountering violence. The 80s brought heightened racial tensions in the Midlands. In response, workers and families opened desi pubs that combined a public house with Indian food and Punjabi music. They often served as extensions of overcrowded living spaces back home or in hostels, a social hub where people could maintain community ties while integrating into British life.
Updesh Singh, a producer and Coventry-based co-creator, said it was "quite difficult to see" the experiences of those who faced exclusion. "When we found out that people who looked like us weren't allowed in [to pubs], that was really hard to deal with," he said, adding that his father and grandfather also endured discrimination. "They were allowed to work here but were not paid the same, were not treated the same; they couldn't enter these establishments. And some of them even faced violence." He described the project as more than a history lesson: it is a record of resilience and community building. "It's awe-inspiring," he said. "They resisted, they organised, collectivised and pushed back. They didn't just accept it. They stood up to it, at great risk to themselves, and they created change."
Today, desi pubs are increasingly popular across the Midlands and into the north of England, with more venues opening in recent years. Updesh notes that immigrant men in the 70s and 80s often lived with their wives and children back home, sharing crowded houses; desi pubs became an extension of their living rooms. Gurveer Lally, manager of Soho Tavern in Hockley, says the spaces have shed the stigma of pubs as male-only spaces and now attract families and a broader age range: "We've evolved into families coming here and different age ranges, compared to before when they [pubs] were seen as somewhere that men go after work." Gurdev Singh adds that the pubs also help him reconnect with his Punjabi roots: "From the authentic food, to the people you come across and the music you hear in these places, it's an all-round connection to my roots." He notes that the Midlands became home to many desi pubs, rooted in the region’s factory and foundry history: "In the Black Country region, we've got lots of desi pubs, it stems from our ancestors working hard in the nearby factories and foundries. And now it's evolved to a stage where people aren't just coming after work, they're coming any time of day with friends and family."
Gurdev also highlights the broader cultural potential of desi pubs: they have the chance to go global and open everywhere in the world, to be a globally recognised cuisine. He acknowledges that London currently lags behind the Midlands in this growth, but argues the sense of community among Asians and Punjabis in the Midlands has been a powerful driver for expansion and cultural exchange. The documentary frames these spaces not only as sustenance for food and music but as living laboratories of integration, where traditions are shared, adapted, and celebrated by people from many backgrounds.
The Rise of Mixy arrives amid a wider conversation about Britain’s evolving pub culture and the role of food, music, and family in shaping social spaces. Filmed against a backdrop of late-20th-century migration and the ongoing negotiation of identity, the documentary uses firsthand accounts, archival material, and contemporary interviews to chart a trajectory from segregation to inclusion. As the Midlands continues to attract new communities, desi pubs stand as a testament to cultural exchange and the ways in which immigrant stories can become part of a shared national narrative.
