Balti Kings – Photograph

Series nameProduction: Balti Kings
Description

This black and white photograph features Indira Joshi playing the character Khalidaa, in Tamasha’s 1999 production, ‘Balti Kings’. The production was a comedy set in the restaurant kitchens of Birmingham’s Baltiland and followed the lives of the Punjabi businessmen who have made their fortunes from Britain’s best-loved food – curry.

Date of Creation / Publication1999
CreatorPotter, Jenny
Associated Person/ OrganisationBuchar, Sudha; Joshi, Indira
LocationBirmingham
Collection and Reference NumberTamasha Theatre Company (GB 2661 TT)
Catalogue NumberTT/PRO/BK/3
CopyrightThe Creator and/ or associated person or organisation where applicable
Access to originalsThe originals are located at Tamasha Theatre Company http:www.tamasha.org.uk
Series notesBalti Kings' is a comedy production by Tamasha Theatre Company which was staged in 1999. It was written by Sudha Buchar, Tamasha's joint Artistic Director, and Shaheen Khan, an actor and playwright. The play was directed by Kristine Landon-Smith, also joint Artistic Director of Tamasha. Through 'Balti Kings', the creative team felt they wanted to produce a play specifically for the Midlands population,who had been a loyal audience to Tamasha's previous productions.

The play is set in a restaurant kitchen in Birmingham's 'Baltiland', and focuses on the lives of the Punjabi businessmen of the Midlands, who have built their fortunes on the back of Britain's most popular food - the curry. After extensive research and interviews with restaurant owners, chefs and waiters, Balti Kings was scripted and produced for the stage.

The production toured the UK in 1999, premiering at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre on 15 December. It then toured to The Lyric Theatre in Hammersmith from 12 January to 19 February, the Everyman Theatre in Liverpool from 22 - 26 February, the Bristol Old Vic from 8 -11 March, the Lawrence Bately in Huddersfield,on 14 and 15 March, the Oxford Playhouse on 17 and 18 March, the Contact Theatre on 21- 25 March and finally the Theatre Royal in Plymouth on 28 March - 1 April 1999.
Collection notesThe Tamasha Theatre collection consists of digitised material which relate to their productions and include items such as flyers, programmes, scripts, photographs, and stage and costume drawings.