Photo from original Production 1999. Photo Credit: Tristram Kenton

The World Curry Festival presents Balti Kings by Sudha Bhuchar & Shaheen Khan

Food and theatre meet across one breathless day inside Shakeel’s Balti House at the turn of the millennium, family loyalties and cut-throat competition simmer alongside dreams on the back burner.

The Theatre of Curry brings audiences into the kitchens, spice markets, and dining tables that define curry culture.

The evening on 24 September features a special revival reading of Balti Kings by Sudha Bhuchar & Shaheen Khan —the iconic play set on Birmingham’s Ladypool Road—alongside live cookery demonstrations and interactive performances. Actors, chefs, and storytellers create a sensory experience where flavours, humour, and heritage collide.

Balti pioneer Yahsin Anwar is being squeezed by the mighty “Karachi Karahi.” To fight back, his sons gamble on a grand re-opening: “pile your plate for under a fiver,” thirty-five dishes in five hours, plus late-night “Curry-oke” with Bollywood royalty. As orders fly, head chef Billa battles the clock while the team juggle tangled loyalties, private ambitions and secrets that can’t stay bottled. It’s hot, hilarious and human—life and work colliding on a single, unforgettable shift.

And because Balti Kings is inseparable from the food culture it celebrates, this event includes a Balti-inspired meal served at the interval—so you can taste the world you’re hearing. A beloved modern classic, served simply—scripts in hand, plates at the ready.

Keeps your jaw hanging open with laughter.” (The Independent)

Balti Kings is part of Artist in Residence: Sudha Bhuchar at Theatre in the Mill, commissioned by Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture.

Tickets include the Balti inspired meal.

Signed playscripts will also be available to purchase at a special price of £5 /-

Cast: Mateusz Tutak – Isaac; Saikat Ahamed – Billa; Joe Sellman-Leava - Shakeel; Tahir Shah – Shahab; Diljohn Sidhu – Nadim

Kirsty Armstrong – Mariam; Nicholas Khan – Yahsin & Ezra Faroque Khan – Yacoub

Creative Team

Shabina Aslam – Director

Sudha Bhuchar/ Shaheen Khan - Writers

Amaaima Hussain – Producer

Lukas Hornby – Technological Support