‘Sweetmeats’ – In demand writer Karim Khan talks about latest play in trilogy about British Muslim South Asians

Writers once pigeonholed into ‘minority’ voices are challenging stereotypes and tired tropes and approaching work with dynamism and creativity to match and often surpass anything in the so-called ‘mainstream’…

By Suman Bhuchar

AWARD-WINNING writer Karim Khan’s new play, ‘Sweetmeats’ is about to have its world premiere at the Bush Theatre, London.

Directed by Natasha Kathi-Chandra of Tara Theatre, this play is a two hander about a middle-aged couple who meet at a diabetes clinic.

“I would describe the play as a tender love story between two South Asian elders, Hema and Liaquat.”

Hema is an Indian Hindu woman, Liaquat is a Pakistani Muslim man and they meet each other at a Type 2 Diabetes workshop and we slowly see their connection unfold slowly over a series of weeks they spend together.

Actor, Shobu Kapoor plays Hema, while Rehan Sheikh is Liaquat in this co-production with Tara Theatre.

It’s a love story and as the couple grow closer, they find themselves romantically attracted – a feeling they had thought they had outgrown.

Writer Karim Khan has been making a splash in the theatre scene ever since his play, ‘Brown Boys Swim’ made its debut at Edinburgh in 2022. Directed by John Hoggarth it was produced by The North Wall theatre in Oxford.

The play about two young Muslim friends, Kash and Mohsen, learning to swim in order to attend a pool party of their white classmate, was tender, funny and moving – dealing with male friendships, racism and fitting in.

It won Khan a Fringe First (an award presented by The Scotsman newspaper) as well as a BBC Popcorn Writing Award, celebrating new writing at the Edinburgh Fringe which carried a prize of £6,000 given directly to the writer, “allowing them the financial space and time to write something new”.

In December 2025, Khan had his Christmas show, ‘Before the Millennium’ at the Old Fire Station, Oxford. Directed by Adam Karim, it tells the story of three Muslim women (Zoya, Iqra and Faiza) who work at Cowley, Oxford Woolworth during Christmas 1999 on the eve of the new millennium. It focused on female friendships, identity and belonging.

Iqra is a student at a prestigious Oxford College and wants to return back to Pakistan, while Zoya, a new housewife is a recent arrival to Oxford and loves to dance, is a great cook and has an optimistic outlook on life.

Faiza, a British Pakistani teenager joins as a temp and her world view is different to the other two women who are initially suspicious of her.

At a Q&A after the show, Khan told audiences that he wanted the play to be his view of ‘A Christmas Carol’ and ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’.

If you look at these plays together, they can be considered as a trilogy with ‘Brown Boys Swim’ about young men, ‘Before the Millennium’ about women and now, ‘Sweetmeats’ about older people.

It can be argued that Khan is giving a voice to the South Asian community a British Muslim perspective. Did he consciously plan it this way?

“I didn’t think it was a conscious decision but certainly it’s the things that I am drawn to. I think it is important to represent people in our community who we don’t see represented often and all three of my plays shine the light on people we often don’t see stories about”, he tells www.asianculturevulture.com.

“So, I feel an interest and a responsibility to bring those stories to life and to make those stories feel joyous and challenging. It’s just a preoccupation I have with those stories and those communities.”
Khan, 31 was born and raised in Oxford.

“My grandfather migrated to Oxford in the 1960s and then my mum migrated in the nineties when she married my dad. My Dad was born in Oxford.”

Khan went to school in Oxford and then to University College, London to read English Literature. After that completed a Masters degree in Film and Television Studies at Warwick University, followed by a Masters in Screen-writing at the National Film and Television School (NFTS) Beaconsfield.

He recently returned back to NFTS to undertake a programme called The Prime Video Director’s Workshop where six directors get to make a short film funded by Amazon Prime video, using the resources of the school and working with the graduate students. Khan is currently in post-production for his film debut as writer–director.

He never thought he would become a writer, because as a youngster he enjoyed making films with a film club. Then, while he was an undergraduate, he became interested in writing and gravitated towards plays. His first play ‘Orange Juice’ (2017) was a one act play about a 20-something South Asian man who is essentially trying to fit into the western world.

He then did Theatre in Education plays: ‘Beyond Shame’ (2018), commissioned by Derby Theatre and Karma Nirvana (a women’s charity) which spoke to survivors of honour based abuse and forced marriage and ‘Corrosive’ (2019) for Pegasus Theatre about the Far Right and radicalisation.

Khan made his television writing debut on the Channel 5/PBS series, ‘All Creatures Great and Small’ for which he won the Best Episodic Debut Award 2023 (Series 3, ‘Edward’).

In 2022, he was awarded the inaugural Pillars Artist Fellowship – sponsored by Netflix and Amazon studios and supported by Riz Ahmed’s Left-handed Films. The opportunity allowed him to be part of a cohort of ten and get the chance to develop his vocation and network with the creative industry.

Writing has become a full time career for him and he finds inspiration through travelling and learning from the work of writers like Tennessee Williams or Lorraine Hansberry or films such as ‘The Lunchbox’ or ‘All We Imagine as Light’.

As far as the current South Asian theatre scene goes, he feels “really inspired by my peers. There is a really exciting generation of South Asian playwrights who are developing new work at the moment”.

Khan too, is much sought after, he is writing for the Royal Court, the National Theatre and was recently announced as one of six playwrights to take part in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s (RSC) 2026 Cohort Programme to include residencies at Stratford Upon-Avon and a chance to be commissioned.

Meanwhile, back at the Bush Theatre, it will be great to see the stories of an older generation of British Asians being seen and heard in Sweetmeats.

“I think to see that generation holding space and being the main characters of their story is really important as they are often the side characters in other people’s stories — portraying parents and grandparents but to see them centre stage is really exciting.

“I want people to have a good time and I want the play to feel like a joyous experience that is entertaining and fun.”

All pictures ©TaylorFahose/Bush Theatre/Tara Theatre – except where indicated

Listing

‘Sweetmeats’ by Karim Khan from February 10 (previews) until March 21 at The Bush Theatre, 7 Uxbridge Road, London W12 8LJ

Info/tickets: Sweetmeats | By Karim Khan | Bush Theatre