Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Laila Zaidi: Passion and powerful intention

The performer has taken on the title role in new theatre musical Frankie Goes To Bollywood, which revolves around a British Asian girl being swept up into the bright lights of Hindi cinema.

Laila Zaidi: Passion and powerful intention

WATCHING films, combined with a deep love for performing from a very young age, first connected Laila Zaidi to acting.

 She went from performing in front of her family with mini concerts at home to carving out a successful career as an actress, which has seen her combine winning work on stage with top TV roles in shows such as Benidorm, Ackley Bridge and Doctors. 


The versatile performer has taken on the title role in new theatre musical Frankie Goes To Bollywood, which revolves around a British Asian girl being swept up into the bright lights of Hindi cinema.  

The latest offering from leading theatre company Rifco embarks on a mammoth tour this month, which goes across the UK until July.  

Eastern Eye caught up with the actress ahead of the premiere at Watford Palace Theatre on Thursday (25) to discuss the play, Bollywood and her biggest inspiration. 

 Tell us about Frankie Goes To Bollywood and the character you play?  

This show is so full of heart, passion, and powerful intention. I play Frankie, a young girl from Milton Keynes who gets swept into the world of Bollywood and all that it entails. She meets some incredible characters along the way and learns what it means to find a ‘home’ in the people you love. 

 What is the biggest challenge of playing this role? 

 I’d say the biggest challenge is wanting to marry the intricacies and authenticity of the character and the Bollywood dance, while honouring the incredible script and remembering all the lines at the same time - not sure it ever gets any easier.  

What is your favourite moment in the show?  

I absolutely cannot tell you because it’s a surprise moment, but I implore you all to come see it. The lights, set, costumes and cast are simply out of this world. 

 How does this show compare to your other work? 

 It’s a different world to other musicals or TV programmes I have done, so it’s been such an exciting challenge diving head-first into the world of Bollywood.  

I’m learning so much, and grateful for the creative team, who are so kind, patient and very informative. 

 How do you feel ahead of the tour? 

 Excited. I haven’t toured for a few years, so other than most likely packing far too many clothes and not being able to carry my cases, it should be fun.  

Who are you hoping this show connects with?  

I hope this show connects with every single person who comes to watch. There’s something so special about being in a room of pure south Asian talent, telling a south Asian story. But that doesn’t mean it’s not going to connect with western audiences too. 

 I think everyone can relate to feeling lost in life, yearning for somewhere to belong. ‘Hope, love and heroes who always come through!’ If I can inspire one person who feels they’ve never seen representation like this on stage, or another, who wants to pursue this career and leaves with a fire in their belly, or simply, someone who goes home humming a tune with a happy heart, then my job here is done. 

 What is it like working with an iconic British Asian theatre company like Rifco?  

I’ve had the pleasure of working with Rifco for over five years now, workshopping this show.  

I can’t put into words what they mean to me. It feels like family. I’ve never felt so safe in a room to make mistakes or just be myself. They really do take care of us. I’m so grateful to everyone at Rifco for this opportunity and hope I do them proud.  

How do you feel being on stage? 

 I absolutely love it. It’s hard to explain really, but it just feels right.  

What is your favourite Bollywood movie of all time?  

I can’t pick one. I’ve been doing lots of research and have ended up watching so many that I have loved.  

My cousin from Pakistan has been sending me endless recommendations - I need more hours in my day. 

 Which Bollywood leading lady do you most admire?  

I have sort of fallen in love with Deepika Padukone – she oozes class and elegance and is so talented. I’d say she is big goals. 

 What inspires you?  

My family. My mum and dad, for being the world’s most supportive parents. They have travelled the world to watch me perform and been through every high and low with me. They have always believed in me even in moments where I doubt myself. Everything I do, I do for them.  

I’m also doing this for my grandparents. Grandad, who is sadly no longer with us, took me to every single drama school audition when I was 18 and taught me how to use the Tube (with a map). I remember one of the last conversations I ever had with him, he said he wished he could see me on stage in London for one final time. This one’s for you, grandad. 

 Why should we watch Frankie Goes To Bollywood?  

Because this show is nothing like you’ll have ever seen before. It’s been years in the making.  

We have all worked so hard and it shows. The score is absolutely beautiful. 

 As I’ve said previously, the costumes, script, dancing, singing and cast are so talented. There is nothing like this in any theatre in this country – we need to shout louder for the people at the back. Please come support us and tell all your friends. And make sure to come and say hi afterward. 

 Frankie Goes To Bollywood is being staged at Watford Palace Theatre from Thursday (25) until May 11 before embarking on a UK tour with shows in Manchester (May 15-25), Hayes (May 28-June 1), Hornchurch (June 4-9), Wolverhampton (June 11-15), Bradford (June 18- 22), Windsor (June 25-29), Coventry (July 2-6), Cardiff (July 16-20). www.rifcotheatre.com 

More For You

Glowborne

Each character in the set has been carefully designed to reflect cultural narratives

Glowborne

Anika Chowdhury reimagines chess with Glowborne, reviving its South Asian and East African origins

Highlights:

  • British-Bangladeshi prop maker Anika Chowdhury has designed a handcrafted glow-in-the-dark chess set celebrating heritage and identity.
  • The limited-edition set, called Glowborne, launches on Kickstarter in October.
  • Each piece draws from South Asian, Middle Eastern, and African cultural references, re-rooting chess in its origins.
  • The project blends art, storytelling, and representation, aiming to spark conversations about identity in play.

Reimagining chess through heritage

When Anika Chowdhury sat down to sculpt her first chess piece, she had a bigger vision than simply redesigning a classic game. A British-Bangladeshi prop maker working in the film industry, she grew up loving fantasy and games but rarely saw faces like hers in Western storytelling.

“Chess originated in India, travelled through Arabia and North Africa, and was later Westernised,” she explains. “I wanted to bring those forgotten origins back to the board.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Piranhas’ police box

The piece was originally one of nine works that appeared across London in August 2024

Getty Images

Banksy’s ‘Piranhas’ police box heads to London Museum

Highlights:

  • Banksy’s ‘Piranhas’ artwork, painted on a police sentry box, is being stored ahead of display at London Museum.
  • The piece was originally one of nine works that appeared across London in August 2024.
  • It will form part of the museum’s new Smithfield site, opening in 2026.
  • The City of London Corporation donated the artwork as part of its £222m museum relocation project.

Banksy’s police box artwork in storage

A Banksy artwork known as Piranhas has been placed in storage ahead of its future display at the London Museum’s new Smithfield site, scheduled to open in 2026. The piece features spray-painted piranha fish covering the windows of a police sentry box, giving the illusion of an aquarium.

From Ludgate Hill to Guildhall Yard

The police box, which had stood at Ludgate Hill since the 1990s, was swiftly removed by the City of London Corporation after Banksy confirmed authorship. It was initially displayed at Guildhall Yard, where visitors could view it from behind safety barriers. The Corporation has since voted to donate the piece to the London Museum.

Keep ReadingShow less
DDLJ director Aditya Chopra earns UK Stage Debut Awards nod for 'Come Fall in Love'

Aditya Chopra (right) with his father, Yash Chopra

YRF

DDLJ director Aditya Chopra earns UK Stage Debut Awards nod for 'Come Fall in Love'

BOLLYWOOD filmmaker Aditya Chopra was last Thursday (21) named among the nominees of the UK Stage Debut Awards for his Come Fall in LoveThe DDLJ Musical, performed at Manchester’s Opera House earlier this year.

Chopra delivered a blockbuster in 1995 with Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, popular as DDLJ, with Kajol and Shah Rukh Khan in the lead roles. It was adapted to a theatrical production and had its UK premiere in May.

Keep ReadingShow less
Annie Jagannadham

Born in 1864 in Visakhapatnam, Annie began medical studies at Madras Medical College, one of the few institutions in India then open to women.

Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh

How Dr Annie Jagannadham broke barriers in medicine

DR ANNIE WARDLAW JAGANNADHAM was the first Indian woman to gain a medical degree at a British university and have her name added to the UK medical register in 1890.

Her story has been revisited by the General Medical Council (GMC) as part of South Asian Heritage Month. Tista Chakravarty-Gannon, from the GMC Outreach team, explored her life with support from GMC archivist Courtney Brucato.

Keep ReadingShow less
Tarek Amin

A visual dialogue between flesh and spirit

Manzu Islam

Tarek Amin's 'Echoes of Existence' showcases bodies caught in time and reaching for escape

Manzu Islam

Highlights:

  • Woodcut prints that explore the fragile threshold between body, time, and transcendence
  • Inspired by Baul mystics like Lalon Shai and Shah Abdul Karim, as well as sculptural forms from Michelangelo to Rodin
  • Figures emerge from black holes and womb-like voids — trapped in time yet reaching for freedom
  • A visual dialogue between flesh and spirit, rootedness and flight
  • A bold continuation of South Asian metaphysical traditions in contemporary form
  • Paradox becomes the path: muscular bodies dream of escape through light, memory, and love
  • Expressionist in tone, haunting in imagery — a theatre of becoming


I imagine Tarek Amin (Ruhul Amin Tarek) has a singular vision as his hands work on his craft, his measuring eyes, the membranes of his fingers. They are mostly woodcut prints on the threshold of becoming, from darkened holes. A human figure dangling in space, yet not without gravitational pull, the backwards tilt of the head is like a modern-day high jumper in the fall position, the muscles and ribcage straining to keep the body's mass afloat. A clock is ticking away in the background of a darkened rectangle. Is it the black hole, the womb, or the nothingness from which the first murmurings of being, its tentative emergence into light, can be heard?

Keep ReadingShow less