Sufi musical ‘Ishq’ opens in London

New musical ‘Ishq’, starring Ahsan Khan, Adnan Jaffer and Rachel Viccaji, marks a first for London theatres.

Based on the folk tale of Heer Ranjha, the play is London’s first Anglo-Punjabi production, according to the play brochure.

“The play is a celebration of 70 years of Pakistan and [hopes to spread] the Sufi message of love and peace,” shared Ahsan with Images. Ahsan plays the titular Ranjha in the musical.

The play opened on September 7 and has its final show tonight.

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About his London stage debut, Ahsan shared, “Theatre is by far the most rewarding experience for an actor. You rehearse a character for a few weeks and then one day, at 7.30pm, you start performing and nobody stops you. You act with your entire soul. Thank you London for being an overwhelmingly appreciative audience.”

Here are some scenes from Ishq:

Ahsan Khan plays the titular Ranjha
Ahsan Khan and Rachel Viccaji in Ishq
Heer Ranjha is the story of a man and woman from warring villages who fall in love
Adnan Jaffer during an intense moment of the musical
The cast takes a bow

The play features Emu from Fuzon as composer and Suhaee Abro as choreographer. It has been directed by Farooq Beg, produced by Huma Beg and written by S. Mushfiq Murshed.

All photos by Lidia Crisafulli