Guest Reviewer Hamavand Engineer Shares His Thoughts On BLACKLISTED

7th September 2023, PACT Erskineville

As the double doors opened wide into the PACT Theatre, I immediately felt the warmth walking in - Persian rugs placed on the floor with cushions in rich tones strategically dolloped around, welcoming the audience to sit and enjoy the show close up. A guitar and a low-lying table with what appeared to be South Asian style bric-a-brac on it, sat at the side; and the leading lady herself (Almitra Mavalvala), who wrote and performs in the show as herself, walked to and fro in traditional wear, holding a sound bowl in one hand, smiling at her audience. She was accompanied by musicians playing the sitar (Sarangan Sriranganathan) and the tabla/percussion (Chris Fields), adding an ambience of serenity and calm to Almitra’s ‘living room’.

I chose to take a front row seat behind the cushions and a moment to read the flyer on my seat. It provided a glimpse into Almitra’s musical influences, what it feels like to be displaced, being away from home and wanting a sense of belonging. On the other side was a song she wrote called “Karachi” (which she later sang in Hindi), which describes her love for her home city Karachi (Pakistan) in a way that one would describe it after seeing it for the first time - a city built on love, of bright lights and hard working men, one that people have lost all hope for and leave, but sometimes, return to. From this, I gathered Blacklisted, directed by Jessica Fallico, was going to be a thought provoking, deeply, personal show.

The show began with Almitra introducing herself and giving a brief description of her life growing up- in Pakistan as a Parsi, Zoroastrian girl. She sang ‘Karachi’ in Urdu whilst playing the guitar. Her wavering, imperfect tones added to the vulnerability with which she affectionately referred to her “Nani” (grandmother) and “agarbatti” (incense sticks) at home, which evoked memories of my own childhood in Pakistan and sang ‘Pakistan will always be home’. As I looked around at the audience, I noticed she had captured their hearts and attention and that neither she nor they, were going to let it wane.

As the story unfolded, we were afforded a deeper understanding of her childhood in hysterically comical ways. Such as the challenges she faced as the middle sibling in her family, or the way in which she played out the daily routine in a traditional Parsi household. Then there was her incessant mission to get out of Pakistan and travel, but having to face the reality that there are only 6 countries she can enter without needing a visa. The humour came to an abrupt end however, as we discover that owning a Pakistani passport meant she was constantly rejected for a visa to where she wished to travel. The way in which she shows disdain towards her passport and a system that shows no clear reason for the rejections, were both funny and knowingly heart-breaking. Despite the
feeling, she was quickly able to change the pace and mood of the show, by turning pensive moments into hilariously funny ones, by sticking her fingers up to say f**k you to those rejecting her, and telling a writer to stick it up her “stinky vagina”, after reading one of her many visa rejection letters strewn over the floor. Facing rejection, after rejection, you felt deep empathy for her.

Hats off to her musicians, who played in perfect unison with her narrative and added the much- needed depth to those disconsolate moments, that were to be her take-home messages for her audience. As she moved from one song to another, her vocals strengthened, and as she sang in Urdu about “my Pakistan”, she could no longer hold back her tears. A gifted guitarist, her subtle tones and minimalist vibrato truly conveyed how much she loves Pakistan. At the end of it, a thunderous applause filled the theatre and I realised, a star is being born.

Almitra eventually managed to travel to Canada. This was her chance to perhaps call it home one day and feel a sense of belonging. However, the damage was done. Tired of being rejected and resurrected, literally made her feel as if she was blacklisted. She was angry, frustrated, outraged and depleted. Frustrated at a system that did not understand who she was and kept her questioning why she was chosen to go through this – a Parsi, Zoroastrian (not a Muslim she would say) girl, with a Pakistani passport who did not want to commit crimes of terror, nor overstay her welcome in a western country. How could this be? Why can’t she just be herself and not have to justify who she was to every interrogator that ever asked? This would be her shadow all her life and she didn’t know whether to scream or laugh.

Despite the many trials and tribulations, Almitra finally managed to get a visa to travel to Australia and describes the land gleefully, with bright eyes and a bushy tail. She was keen to make it her home. Whilst she appeared hopeful and positive, one of the most endearing and heartfelt moments, was when she solemnly stated, “I want freedom from the guilt of leaving it all behind”, referring to her beloved Karachi. I cried, and so did the audience. It was a powerful moment that captured our hearts, as we felt that that despite her appreciation for this wonderful country, the struggle to let go and never to look back at Karachi, and call Australia home, is real. Will she remain in the country? Will she be granted citizenship? Just when we thought we’d get the answer, she declared “unless
something drastically changes by June 2024”…….and the audience went silent.

As the lights came on, I had to contain myself and wipe the tears that had by now, flooded my face. I wanted to thank her for taking me back to my birthplace and for resurrecting the memories of the few short years I spent there as a child. Thankfully, I managed to do just that after the show and took a snapshot of it, that will remain with me always.

Whether you are a migrant, citizen, expat or what I like to call myself, a globalista, Blacklisted will move you deeply. It is one the greatest one-man shows I have seen and will perhaps remain so for a long time yet. It was storytelling at its best and contained enough vulnerability to be able tell a story of such depth, yet enough nostalgia to evoke memories of the past. The love/hate relationship with her motherland and the feeling of wanting to belong, resonates deeply with me and is perhaps the reason why, from the very beginning, Blacklisted crept into my heart and stays with me till this very moment.

Blacklisted played as part of the Sydney Fringe Festival and all shows sold out. It has been confirmed to move onto Adelaide next year.

Photos: LSH Media

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