The Wrong Bashir is a funny satirical play by Zahida Rahemtulla about a young Ismaili Muslim philosophy student who is trying to understand the mind. He has been chosen to lead the Ismaili student community but doesn’t understand why he merits that position. He doesn’t see himself as a leader. What he doesn’t know is that it’s a case of mistaken identity.
This is a coming-of-age story about a community that was expelled from Uganda just over 50 years ago. It will relate to the new generation that is trying to understand their place in the world and in the choices, they make responsibility to the community. It will also help the older generation that have resettled elsewhere to understand the youth and the challenges they face.
New immigrants to the west have and desire and mindset to succeed in a meritocratic society. But the new generation is trying to find their place in the world by understanding today’s realities and trying to understand the struggles and changes their parents went through.
This very entertaining play premiered in Vancouver a year a ago to packed houses opens in Toronto at the Crow/s Theater on May 21st.