Rafta Rafta
New play by the author of East is East…
Rafta, Rafta…
By Ayub Khan-Din
Originally directed by Nicholas Hytner
Director for the tour is Iqbal Khan
The Lowry, Tue 19 – Sat 23 February 2008
Press Night: Tue 19 February, 7.30pm
• Interviews available with Bolton actress, Rokhsaneh Ghawam-Shahidi, and tour director, Iqbal Khan, on Thu 3 January 2008
Following the award-winning success of The Seafarer, the National Theatre brings Rafta, Rafta…, a hilariously poignant new play, to The Lowry from Tue 19 to Sat 23 Feb. This hugely warm-hearted, comic tale of close knit Indian family life in England is adapted by the Salford-born author of East is East, Ayub Khan-Din, from Bill Naughton’s All in Good Time.
LATA: You can’t joke about these things. It’ll bring bad luck. Terrible tragedies occur when brides tempt the wrath of the gods.
VINA: Maybe in Bollywood, mum, not in Oldham.
The wedding feast is over and his father’s dancing the bhangra, but the groom is busy on the net. And when it’s time for bed, he’s so woefully inhibited by the proximity of his parents that his beautiful virgin bride remains just that. Six weeks later, the whole family starts to panic.
Set in Oldham, this smash-hit comedy stars Bollywood favourite, Harish Patel, recently seen in UK cinemas in Simon Pegg’s Run, Fat Boy, Run and Chicken Tikka Masala. The beautifully feisty bride is played by Bolton-born former member of the Contact Young Actors Company, Rokhsaneh Ghawam-Shahidi. Rokhsaneh performed in East is East at the Bolton Octagon in 2005 and has appeared in Emmerdale and Sinchronicity. The annoying younger brother who drives the bridegroom to despair with his immature pranks is played by Salford University-trained Rudi Dharmalingham, who starred in the UK tour of The History Boys and recently featured in the Channel 4 film, Britz.
Posted on Thursday, 03 January 2008 under Press Theatre Press