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Zafar flees homophobic persecution in Pakistan to seek asylum in the UK. Londoner Bilal (or Billy as he prefers to be known) is ground down by years of Grindr and the complexity of being a brown gay man.
In Soho, at 2 a.m., parallel worlds collide - and Zafar and Billy's lives are about to change forever.
The P Word is Waleed Akhtar's sharp-witted and devastating play charting the parallel lives of two gay Pakistani men as they negotiate everything from casual hook-ups to the UK's hostile environment.
A story of who wins in the luck of life's draw, it was premiered at the Bush Theatre, London, in 2022, directed by Anthony Simpson-Pike.
About the author
Waleed Akhtar is a writer and actor. His plays include:
The P Word (Bush Theatre, London, 2022);
Kabul Goes Pop: Music Television Afghanistan (Brixton House, London, and tour 2022);
Sholay on the Big Screen (Bush Theatre, London, 2021); and
I Don't Know What To Do (VAULT Festival 2020, Evening Standard Pick of the Fest). His English translation of Alexis Michalik's play
The Art of Illusion was staged at Hampstead Theatre in 2022. His short film
Lost Paradise was produced by UK Film Council and he has contributed material for BBC Radio 4's
Sketchtopia and
Newsjack.
Summary
A sharp-witted and devastating play charting the parallel lives of two gay Pakistani men as they negotiate everything from casual hook-ups to the UK's hostile environment.
