INTERVIEW: Navigating the nature of belonging in ‘An Ordinary Muslim’
Photo: Sathya Sridharan and Purva Bedi star in An Ordinary Muslim at New York Theatre Workshop. Photo courtesy of Suzi Sadler / Provided by Matt Ross Public Relations with permission.
An Ordinary Muslim, which finishes up Sunday, March 25 at the New York Theatre Workshop, is the professional debut of playwright Hammaad Chaudry. The drama, directed by Jo Bonney, explores the themes of belonging, prejudice, globalism, assimilation and religion.
The couple at the center of the play, Azeem and Saima, struggle in the many directions they are pulled. As NYTW’s press notes state, they “straddle the gap between their Pakistani heritage and their British upbringing.”
Sathya Sridharan plays Hamza, an acquaintance of the couple who is involved with the local mosque. The actor has been in several off-Broadway productions, including The Winter’s Tale, Hamlet and Ultimate Beauty Bible. On television, he has appeared in Blindspot, The Blacklist and Madam Secretary.
Recently, Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with Sridharan about his latest role. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
What first attracted you to taking a role in An Ordinary Muslim?
Many things. The play itself is gutting to read just on the page. It speaks to such a specific experience that I can relate to as a first generation South Asian-American: the struggle of immigrant parents, the pain and exhaustion of living on the hyphen. Hammaad’s play does not hold back. It is going for something massive, necessary and uncomfortable. It is engaging in a dialogue with the audience, with our culture and society, and it refuses to blink, even when we might feel it ought to. I knew it would be special to be apart of this play, and to work at New York Theatre Workshop has always been a dream of mine. So to do this play, at this time, with this team … it’s a no brainer.
What’s it like to work with director Jo Bonney?
Jo is just legend status. I feel truly blessed to have gotten to work with her — I’ve admired her work from afar, and now getting to be on the inside of one of her productions has been a real treat. She is obviously brilliant, but with that brilliance comes this remarkable unpretentious sensitivity; she’s so attuned to both the needs of the actors and to the playwright. She is collaborative, open to a discussion in order to find the best and juiciest choice. I truly hope I get to work with her in the future. Putting it out there in the universe.
What do you believe the story says about society in 2018?
Though it’s set in the UK in 2011, I think the resonance to today’s cultural and political climate is immediate and prescient. When David says to Azeem, ‘This country is changing.’ and Azeem responds ‘…it already has changed’ — I am, every night, reminded of the kinds of conversations we were having around the last election cycle in the U.S. — the rise of white nationalism and this fear that somehow, this country is no longer as ‘great’ as it once was. Hammaad’s play speaks directly to this moment of seemingly global crisis, but on the most specific and visceral levels. What does it mean to be a part of a country, a member of a community, or simply a family? How does one cope, survive or simply just exist while society demands you be pulled apart? I love that the play offers no real answer — except maybe hope, or at the very least, moments for compassion, empathy and understanding.
How do you approach your particular character?
I like the contradictions. The spaces and crevices where a person who seems powerful, shows weakness, or where a the righteous find room for hypocrisy. With Hamza, it was about finding the real flesh and blood experience of being both a moral and religious authority in a community, a kind of a golden boy, but also a late-20-year-old guy who has a crush on a woman he knows he shouldn’t. I love that we don’t just see blanket piety with Hamza, but we see all the complexity, passion and contradictions of a human life. Everything else is dope costuming (Susan Hilfrety) and making sure I did my homework about a world that I knew very little about.
What’s next after the New York Theatre Workshop production?
I get to work on another new play in the fall — India Pale Ale by Jaclyn Backhaus and directed by Will Davis. Very excited!
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
An Ordinary Muslim continues through Sunday, March 25 at the New York Theatre Workshop in New York City. Click here for more information and tickets.
