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Alsana Iqbal is Samad ’s wife and the mother of Millat and Magid Iqbal. She is 20 years old when she marries Samad, but though she is younger than her husband, she is no less spirited: Alsana is headstrong, determined, and unafraid of expressing her own opinions.
Samad Iqbal is a middle-aged Bangladeshi immigrant who fought in World War II with Archie Jones, who becomes Samad’s close friend. After the war, he moves to Archie’s neighborhood in London with his new wife, Alsana Iqbal.
But Samad needs him to be a hero. It's the only way he can feel significant, as an aging waiter in a crappy marriage with two children who have disappointed him. Samad's a classic example of one of those guys who is so unhappy with how his life turned out, that he tries to "fix" everyone around him. Cheater, Cheater, Wife-Beater
The most extreme example of Samad’s control is his decision to send his older son, Magid, back to Bangladesh, without even consulting his wife. Samad loses the respect of Alsana and the trust of Millat, whose extreme behavior takes him out of Samad’s orbit altogether.
The children circumvent Samad’s prohibition against the festival with the help of their mothers and Archie, a clue that Samad is not as much in control as he thinks he is. The custom is for the children to distribute food to elderly people in the area.
Samad’s attraction to his children’s teacher, Poppy Burt-Jones, is a source of great frustration for him, since he is becoming increasingly critical of Western culture (signified by his criticism of the Harvest Festival)—yet he nonetheless desires a white woman.
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Tired of Samad's nitpicking, Shiva eventually confronts him and advises Samad not to feel guilty, but adds that relationships with English women never work out because of "too much bloody history." Samad sits in the car with Millat, waiting to drive the children to school so he can see Poppy.
