you?
Shahid Of course.
Mother Papa will be so pleased. And Shahid?
Shahid What?
Mother Don’t talk to strangers.
Shahid picks up his cases and leaves. Mother hides her face in her sari and starts crying. As he walks off, soundscape gradually shifts to polyglot and frenetic late-eighties London, and we see him journey to his north London digs. Strapper bumps into him .
Strapper Want some E?
Shahid ( surprised ) What?
Strapper ( urgent ) E, man – ecstasy! Want some?
Shahid No!
Strapper Keep your shirt on, Paki!
Strapper runs off. Shahid arrives at his digs, unpacks his new Amstrad computer and sits down to work .
As he works, London day and night life passes by in the rooms around him – lodgers variously dancing, smoking dope, praying. Shahid is seen going between his computer and his bed, eating, reading, working and having a wank. The light in his room flickers off .
SCENE TWO
Shahid’s digs. There is a knock, followed by a door opening .
Riaz ( in Urdu ) Khariat hai? [All okay?]
Shahid ( startled, in Urdu ) J-ji … Aur aap? [Yes … And you?]
Riaz ( in Urdu ) Jho Allah-tala ko manzoor … [Whatever Allah wills.] ( Introducing himself .) Riaz Al-Hussain.
Shahid ( introducing himself ) Shahid Hasan.
Riaz You speak Urdu well.
Shahid Rusty.
The light flickers back on .
Riaz Have you eaten? When I am studying and writing I forget for hours to eat and then I remember that I am ravenous. Are you like this?
Shahid Only when reading a good book.
Riaz You are searching for something.
Shahid Am I?
Riaz ( clears space and settles himself in the room ) Come.
Shahid ( confused ) Where?
Riaz Sit, sit. I’ve ordered food from an excellent Pakistani takeaway near here.
Shahid Thank you.
Riaz The boy will come soon. Where are you from?
Shahid Sevenoaks, Kent.
Riaz I am from Lahore originally.
Shahid That ‘originally’ is a big thing.
Riaz You recognise that, eh? You are a Pakistani at heart.
Shahid Well … not quite.
Riaz But yes. I have observed you before.
Shahid Have you? What was I doing?
Riaz You are hard-working. We all are who come here. I am without a doubt over your earnestness.
Shahid I’m desperate for good Indian food.
Riaz Naturally you miss such food.
A knock on the door .
Ah, here he is.
He opens the door to Hat, bringing the takeaway .
Meet Shahid – he’s been living quietly in the room next to mine. A proper student!
Hat Salaam-a-leikum . I am Hat.
Shahid Shahid.
Riaz His father owns the takeaway. He is paying for him to study at the college.
Hat ( to Shahid ) Nice room, brother.
Riaz ( to Hat ) Have you brought your abha’s famous brinjal pakoras to start with?
Hat ( putting the takeaway cartons on Shahid’s computer table ) Everything exactly as ordered. Kebab rolls as well.
Riaz ( exclaiming ) Masha-Allah!
He sits on the floor and opens the cartons .
Come, Shahid – eat!
Hat ( to Riaz ) Papa very annoyed – he say definitely no more meetings in our café.
Riaz ( reassuring as he eats ) We will respect his wishes. Don’t worry – now go.
Hat hesitates .
( Realising .) Ah! The money, of course. Take out a note from my pocket. Come, come, Shahid – this is the best food in London!
Hat fishes a fiver out of Riaz’s pocket, as Shahid joins him in eating .
Shahid Are you a student too, Riaz?
Riaz Yes, of the law. Before, I gave only general and legal advice to the many poor and uneducated people who came to see me in Leeds. But now it is time to make a proper study. So, here I am in London – the mecca for all students, no? ( Notices Hat standing by .) You need more money?
Hat ( brandishing the fiver ) I have no change!
Riaz Arey, give it to me later. ( To Shahid .) Your family name is Hasan, am I
Shahid Of course.
Mother Papa will be so pleased. And Shahid?
Shahid What?
Mother Don’t talk to strangers.
Shahid picks up his cases and leaves. Mother hides her face in her sari and starts crying. As he walks off, soundscape gradually shifts to polyglot and frenetic late-eighties London, and we see him journey to his north London digs. Strapper bumps into him .
Strapper Want some E?
Shahid ( surprised ) What?
Strapper ( urgent ) E, man – ecstasy! Want some?
Shahid No!
Strapper Keep your shirt on, Paki!
Strapper runs off. Shahid arrives at his digs, unpacks his new Amstrad computer and sits down to work .
As he works, London day and night life passes by in the rooms around him – lodgers variously dancing, smoking dope, praying. Shahid is seen going between his computer and his bed, eating, reading, working and having a wank. The light in his room flickers off .
SCENE TWO
Shahid’s digs. There is a knock, followed by a door opening .
Riaz ( in Urdu ) Khariat hai? [All okay?]
Shahid ( startled, in Urdu ) J-ji … Aur aap? [Yes … And you?]
Riaz ( in Urdu ) Jho Allah-tala ko manzoor … [Whatever Allah wills.] ( Introducing himself .) Riaz Al-Hussain.
Shahid ( introducing himself ) Shahid Hasan.
Riaz You speak Urdu well.
Shahid Rusty.
The light flickers back on .
Riaz Have you eaten? When I am studying and writing I forget for hours to eat and then I remember that I am ravenous. Are you like this?
Shahid Only when reading a good book.
Riaz You are searching for something.
Shahid Am I?
Riaz ( clears space and settles himself in the room ) Come.
Shahid ( confused ) Where?
Riaz Sit, sit. I’ve ordered food from an excellent Pakistani takeaway near here.
Shahid Thank you.
Riaz The boy will come soon. Where are you from?
Shahid Sevenoaks, Kent.
Riaz I am from Lahore originally.
Shahid That ‘originally’ is a big thing.
Riaz You recognise that, eh? You are a Pakistani at heart.
Shahid Well … not quite.
Riaz But yes. I have observed you before.
Shahid Have you? What was I doing?
Riaz You are hard-working. We all are who come here. I am without a doubt over your earnestness.
Shahid I’m desperate for good Indian food.
Riaz Naturally you miss such food.
A knock on the door .
Ah, here he is.
He opens the door to Hat, bringing the takeaway .
Meet Shahid – he’s been living quietly in the room next to mine. A proper student!
Hat Salaam-a-leikum . I am Hat.
Shahid Shahid.
Riaz His father owns the takeaway. He is paying for him to study at the college.
Hat ( to Shahid ) Nice room, brother.
Riaz ( to Hat ) Have you brought your abha’s famous brinjal pakoras to start with?
Hat ( putting the takeaway cartons on Shahid’s computer table ) Everything exactly as ordered. Kebab rolls as well.
Riaz ( exclaiming ) Masha-Allah!
He sits on the floor and opens the cartons .
Come, Shahid – eat!
Hat ( to Riaz ) Papa very annoyed – he say definitely no more meetings in our café.
Riaz ( reassuring as he eats ) We will respect his wishes. Don’t worry – now go.
Hat hesitates .
( Realising .) Ah! The money, of course. Take out a note from my pocket. Come, come, Shahid – this is the best food in London!
Hat fishes a fiver out of Riaz’s pocket, as Shahid joins him in eating .
Shahid Are you a student too, Riaz?
Riaz Yes, of the law. Before, I gave only general and legal advice to the many poor and uneducated people who came to see me in Leeds. But now it is time to make a proper study. So, here I am in London – the mecca for all students, no? ( Notices Hat standing by .) You need more money?
Hat ( brandishing the fiver ) I have no change!
Riaz Arey, give it to me later. ( To Shahid .) Your family name is Hasan, am I
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