The Christmas pantomime goes halal

Actress Anisa Butt stars as the lead in Muslim pantomime Cinder’aliyah

A Kashmiri actress who made Mumbai her home is suddenly at the centre of Christmas cheer in Britain with an innovative comedy musical act inspired by and catering to the Muslim community. Anisa Butt, whose Kashmiri parents made East Africa their home, has been a Bollywood fixture for a while, with bit roles in Yeh Jawani Hai Diwani, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Half Girlfriend and ALTBalaji's web show, Code M. In London with family during the pandemic, a Zoom audition landed her the part of Cinder'Aliyah, a pantomime directed by Abdullah Afzal, who became a household name with BBC One's Citizen Khan. He says, "In the UK, the pantomime has a very British format. People from varied ethnic backgrounds, and children of immigrants, don't know what a pantomime is. My aim was to say, we live in a multicultural land, and we all need to enjoy this. I wanted to introduce it to everyone. It's Muslim because the charity [backing it] is a Muslim charity. But it will appeal to every South Asian in the UK, and outside."

The cast includes a mix of Pakistani and Indian characters

A British tradition, the pantomime is a slapstick adaptation of iconic fairytales, and relies on audience interaction to heighten the titillating humour. Despite a sizeable Muslim population in Britain, Butt says she'd never seen a pantomime rooted in Indian or South Asian culture. "The community itself is slightly conservative, so I think the pantomime, which is a celebration of jokes, music and dance, never really figured as a format for storytelling," Butt tells mid-day over the phone from London. This makes Cinder'Aliyah the first pantomime, for Muslims, by Muslims. Backed by the UK charity PennyAppeal for its Winter Emergency, it hopes to raise funds to support poverty relief by touring six cities across the UK all this month. Butt sees this as a chance to represent her culture. "I actually get to flaunt my background. It's rare to land opportunities where you can represent your ethnic background, whether on screen or stage. Look at Cinderella in her Disney avatar. How often have you seen a person of colour play her? That's why this pantomime is so important."

Anisa Butt

While the panto is in English, it has a generous peppering of Hindi and Urdu lines and songs. "The cast has both, Indian and Pakistani actors, and the story is about a Muslim family that's part conservative, part-modern. My character is of a Pakistani girl who is obedient and loves her stepmother and sisters. She wants to see the good in them even if they treat her poorly. She makes a good role model because she follows her heart, and doesn't give into pressure," Butt explains. For Afzal, the real hurdle was how to send a message, but still keep it wildly entertaining, full of laughs and colour. "I have a stand-up background, so there are many jokes about the stereotypes in here, and it has South Asian spice," says Afzal, who kept an eye on sharing a lesson for the community through a loved fairytale. "There is a twist. In the end, when the prince finally proposes, our Cinderella turns him down. For the South Asian community, which relates to this tale even in 2021, that sort of rebellion will be refreshing."