Behzti playwright seeks answers in a new work

Playwright Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti, who hit the headlines in December 2004 when Sikh protesters forced the cancellation of her play Behzti at the Birmingham Rep, is exploring the themes contributing to that decision in a new work.

Behud (Beyond Belief), which opened in Coventry, is a satirical response to a closure that sparked a vigorous national debate about tensions between religious sensitivities and freedom of speech. Behzti contains scenes depicting rape and murder in a Sikh temple.

The virulent reaction – including death threats – to what protesters perceived as a sacriligious attack on their faith forced Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti temporarily into hiding.

But six years later the issues headlined then have been woven into a dramatic narrative in which a playwright who wants her voice to be heard attempts to make sense of the past via the arguments of theatrical, political and religious characters – but is still seemingly confounded by the complexity of it all.

Behud received its world premiere at Coventry’s Belgrade Theatre in March to respectful acknowledgements of Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti’s fortitude in revisiting a challenging episode, but less enthusiastic responses about the effectiveness of the play.

A joint production by Belgrade Theatre and London’s Soho Theatre, it will transfer to the Soho Theatre, for a run from April 15 to May 8.

Soho’s artistic director Lisa Goldman directs a cast that includes Lucy Briers, Priyanga Burford, Ravin J Ganatra, Shiv Grewal, John Hodgkinson, Chetna Pandya – pictured here – and Avin Shah. They conjure up a range of real-life types from both sides of the Behzti confrontation.

Behzti won Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti the prestigious Susan Smith Blackburn Prize in 2005 for the best English language play by a woman. The play was translated into French as part of a project with the National Theatre in 2006 and achieved sell-out tours in France and Belgium.

The writer’s other theatre credits include Behsharam (Soho Theatre and Birmingham Rep), Londonee (Stratford East) and Airport 2000 – Asians in Transit (Leicester Haymarket/Riverside Studios). Television credits include Honour, Stitched Up, Eastenders, Lipstick and Nails and Dead Meat.

Behud characters can be seen in a brief preview of the play below.