The House of Bilquis Bibi

Synopsis

It is uncomfortably hot in Jhang, a small town in Pakistan’s fertile Punjab region. Among the mango groves and orchards lies The House of Bilquis Bibi. Inside, a family mourns. With her husband gone, Bilquis must uphold her family’s honour at all costs - the fates of five unmarried daughters lie in her hands. Her solution: to marry off eldest daughter Abida to their cousin Pappo, who is visiting Pakistan from the US. Bilquis turns a blind eye to the illicit nightly visits Pappo pays to his fiancée’s balcony. But as she slowly realises that more than one daughter is staying awake for him, the temperature in the house rises and a tragedy unfolds.

Our Review:

Theo Bosanquet - 27 July 2010

Tamasha, the company that last year transplanted 'Brontë to Bollywood' with Wuthering Heights, is now celebrating its 21st anniversary by taking Lorca to Pakistan.

On paper it seems a good fit, and writer Sudha Bhuchar (who adapted A Fine Balance at Hampstead four years ago) is at pains to point out the parallels between 1930s Andalusia and contemporary Punjab, particularly in terms of religious suppression.

However, in action the transposition is untidy, and Bhuchar's text lacks the nuance and depth of Lorca's original, even if it remains narratively faithful with the matriarch Bilquis imposing a strict period of mourning on her five desperate daughters.

The unseen cousin Pappo, who proposes to the eldest (Abida) but cavorts with the youngest (Aroosa), becomes the focus of the girls' repressed longing as he creeps around the bedrooms and balconies by night, creating consternation for the dictatorial Bilquis and her loya...

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Latest User Review

Raj - 18 August 2010:

Terrible, thats 2 hours I'll never get back! The writing isn't so bad but the acting is awful. I disagree with the reviewer Mariam Haque and Youkti Patel were two of the worst performances in my opinion. It was like watching a bad amature dramatics production. You could barely hear or understand what was being said. Balvinder Sopal being particularly hard to understand. You couldn't tell if she was speaking English or Punjabi. Rina Fatania is the only one worth watching in this god awful production. But if I was you I'd save your money....

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