Veteran actress Shabana Azmi is currently appearing on stage in the UK for the touring production of Happy Birthday Sunita.
The star of films such as Arth, Amar Akbar Anthony and Madame Sousatzka, joins a cast of British Asian actors including Bend It Like Beckham's Ameet Chana, It's a Wonderful Afterlife star Goldy Notay and Clara Indrani as Sunita.
A story of family dynamics and the daily battle against convention, Azmi portrays an Indian matriarch who on the occasion of her wayward daughter's 40th birthday, reveals her determination to live her life on her terms.
Written by Pravesh Kumar and Harvey Virdi, the 80-minute play has been described as a "heart-warming comedy," bringing together the best of Indian cinema with British Asian talent.
An esteemed Indian actor, Azmi has previously won accolades for her perforrnance in the long running stage production Tumhari Amrita, in which she starred with the late Faorooq Shaikh. The Play ran for 21 years.
Rifco Arts Happy Birthday Sunita will be performing at Gravesend's The Woodville next from October 24-25, before moving onto the DUCTAC in Dubai from November 27-29, the Experimental Theatre, NCPA in Mumbai from December 2-3 and Delhi's Habitat from December 5-6.
