By: Petra Chase, Arts & Culture Editor
Writer and filmmaker Lee Nisar sums up her first full-length play as combining “the power of buzzcuts and biryani into one unapologetically queer story.” Dil Ka has been years in the making, with its world premiere set for March 22–31 at the Presentation House Theatre in North Vancouver.
Dil Ka, meaning “of the heart,” is about a young Pakistani woman, Zahra (Talia Vandenbrink), preparing the traditional dish biryani to serve her latest arranged marriage candidate, chosen by her family. However, Zahra is more interested in Jaz (Tanaz Roudgar), her “friend and gay crush” with whom she shares some intimate and giddy moments. As the evening progresses and the ingredients of the flavour-loaded rice dish come together, Zahra steps into her truth and power.
Nisar chose the kitchen as the main setting of the story as a significant place for many brown women. “Kitchens have served as places of gossip, connection, and — in this play — confession, allowing for honesty outside of the realms of patriarchy,” they explained.
The 24-year-old emphasized the support she’s received from everyone involved, including the director Tricia Trinh, RUBY SLIPPERS THEATRE, and Blackout Arts Society. “It’s really amazing to have so many talented storytellers working on this piece and seeing it come from the stage reading to the workshop to now have been such a dream,” they said.
“[Queer, brown, and Muslim] identities do not have to be exclusionary but, rather, inform each other in the most incredible ways.” —Lee Nisar, playwright of Dil Ka
They’re especially excited for the “little details” the crew put into bringing the set to life, from an elaborate spice rack and wall decor, to fabrics and patterns that will resonate with South Asian audiences, including “beautiful and ornate” traditional Pakistani garments. Audiences will even have their senses treated to the delightful aromas and tastes of biryani’s herbs and spices.
You can expect hilarious dialogue alongside tender emotions, like the tension of bond in a family, exploring gender identity, and “the joy of messing up your hair with your friends.” Ultimately, Nisar hopes audiences take a lot of “fun and joy” from the story.
“A lot of the stories we get about being racialized and queer can be really sad,” Nisar told The Peak. While sad experiences do unfortunately exist, they explained that connecting with the queer brown community in Toronto has changed their outlook. They want audiences to see the importance of “sharing culture together and sharing in both the struggles and joy.”
To the “aunties and uncles” in the audience, Nisar hopes they “take away a new perspective [ . . . ] that maybe they’re not as attuned to.” Growing up, Nisar frequently encountered older people in her community claiming “‘you can’t be brown and Muslim and gay” and queerness was often viewed as a “western thing.” This is why Nisar set out to write her characters as each having their own individual relationship to their faith, reflecting the reality.
She hopes audiences can look at the “richness” of queer brown history and “how these identities do not have to be exclusionary but, rather, inform each other in the most incredible ways.”
Dil Ka will be playing from March 22–31 at Presentation House Theatre (333 Chesterfield Ave, North Vancouver). Shows are Thursday–Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Saturdays & Sundays at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are pay-what-you-can ranging from $22-34. Find more information at rubyslippers.ca/dil-ka.
