Balti Kings
A comical slice of British Asian life set in the Midlands.
In Birmingham’s Balti Land, where Indian restaurants ruthlessly compete for custom, curry wars rage with price slashing and chef poaching.
Restaurateur Yahsin Anwar is on the verge of being swallowed up by the mighty Karachi Karahi. To ward off this threat, his family plan a grand re-opening where you can pile your plate for under a fiver and ‘Curry-oke’ into the night. But the temperature in the kitchen soon rises, as the chef is faced with the challenge of producing dozens of dishes, hampered by staff whose personal affairs are also hotting up…
REVIEWS
“The writing is excellent, sharply observant about the lives of the luckless wage-slaves in the kitchen. The acting has a superb understated naturalism… the smells of the Indian cooking as winningly authentic as the humanity of the characterisation.” – The Telegraph
“Keeps your jaw hanging open with laughter.” – The Independent
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Sudha Bhuchar
Sudha is an acclaimed actor/playwright/founder of Bhuchar Boulevard and co-founder of Tamasha. Theatre writing credits include Child of the Divide (Time Out No1 show 2006/ Winner Asian Media awards 2018), Final Farewell (Tara Theatre), A Picture of Health (Theatre of Debate) and Touchstone Tales (Revoluton Arts & Wellcome Collection) and her solo show Evening Conversations (also on Audible).
Acting credits include: Virdee (BBC1), Expats (Prime Video) and the films Ish, Mogul Mowgli and Mary Poppins Returns.
Awards: Tongues on Fire’s Flame Award (2018), Eastern Eye’s ACTA award (2019) and an honorary doctorate in English Literature by the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.
Shaheen Khan
Shaheen’s acclaimed career as an actor spans across theatre, film, tv and audio. Films include: Bhaji on the Beach, Bend It Like Beckham, Tomorrow Never Dies and What’s Love Got to Do with it.
TV includes: Britz, The Boy with the Topknot, My Life as a Popat, Apple Tree House, Love Match, My Sister-Wife, Dr Who and The Reluctant Landlord.
Theatre includes: Midnight’s Children (RSC), Rafta Rafta (NT), A Tainted Dawn (Tamasha Theatre), and Macbeth (Tara Arts).
Awards: Asian Women of Achievement Award for Arts and Culture and the Tongue’s on Fire Silver Flame Award (2022)
Sudha and Shaheen’s co-writing credits include Girlies (now on Audible), Dancing Girls of Lahore and Balti Kings, all for Radio 4