The P Word
Bilal and Zafar are two Pakistani, polar opposites: Bilal is a fully integrated, second-generation Brit who “doesn’t fuck Pakis” and goes by “Billy;” Zafar, a man seeking asylum after he was almost killed in Pakistan for being gay. Billy waits for someone to love him. Zafar waits for someone to accept him— to believe his story. At the beginning of The P Word, these two live their separate lives within their separate narratives. And the first half of the play truly had me guessing as to where they would intersect. They share a common identity: both of them are gay and Pakistani. But beyond that, what do they really have in common? For a majority of the piece, Bilal is annoyingly superficial. He puts on the all-too-common “Why should I care about anything?” act. When Zafar finally comes into his life, he only then realises his capacity for care.
The bond between Bilal and Zafar, played by the writer himself, Waleed Akhtar, and Esh Alladi respectively, is on another level. As the story unfolds, both of them realise both the beauty and sadness in the other’s life. Seeing pure empathy, love and care on stage is beyond refreshing, and this is a testament to both Akhtar’s writing and Anthony Simpson-Pike’s careful direction. The beautiful exchange of energy between Bilal and Zafar, however, hit a snag at the end of the play. “I don’t know how I feel about this?” Alladi continues, “We’re perpetuating a myth. How many people have a Bilal? How many people get pulled off a flight once they’re on?”
Damn… I was almost with them. While implicating the audience and making it another character is a device that may work in other works, I’m not so sure it gels with this one. The P Word turns out to be another issue play dressed in realism here, never revealing its true character until the very end. Throughout the piece, I found myself connecting to Zafar’s story in ways I never imagined would be possible. When the writer puts his intentions overtly onto the audience here and removes the spectacle, removes the hope we have for the characters, then I just end up disappointed.
The P Word is a compelling, meaningful story that deserves to be heard and widely circulated. Maybe it’s enough to simply share it? Or perhaps I’m just naive about this country’s capacity for empathy.
The P Word is showing at The Bush Theatre until 22 October 2022.
