Two Billion Beats (NHB Modern Plays)

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The two actors have a nice, sparky chemistry together: Chadha is sweet and Ingar is sassy but there’s a real easy warmth between them and a sense of their care for each other. The minimalist stage of the Orange Tree Theatre lends itself beautifully to the play’s primary setting: the bus stop where the sisters wait after school. An indicator board gives the times of the next buses as they argue and banter, talking over their experiences at school, political figures, racism and Islamophobia. The setting gives these scenes an authenticity: the bus stop, and mundane outdoor spaces more generally, are familiar spaces of teenage reflection, particularly when contrasted with a tense or claustrophobic home environment. This timely and thoughtful new play from Sonali Bhattacharyya…compellingly shows that the stakes can be high when people – especially women – from a diaspora community raise their voices” WhatsOnStage Conscientious and questing, she may have just got excellent marks for her history essay but, in her mother’s eyes she has committed an unpardonable slander in daring to criticise the Mahatma; if anything should be untouchable, it is his reputation. Not so, argues Ascha; the proper object of admiration should be none other than a Dalit, B. R. Ambedkar, who played a crucial role in drafting the Indian constitution. Recently reviewed at this venue: Rice | ★★★★ | October 2021 While the Sun Shines | ★★★★ | November 2021

Two Billion Beats, Sonali Bhattacharyya’s new play for the Orange Tree, draws us in with snappy lines and raucous energy before delivering an emotional wallop. This timely and thoughtful new play from Sonali Bhattacharyya…compellingly shows that the stakes can be high when people – especially women – from a diaspora community raise their voices.” WhatsOnStage This spiritedcoming-of-age dramafrom Sonali Bhattacharyya is by no means perfect, but it certainly has some neat ideas, and is given a likeable inaugural production by Nimmo Ismail.Two Billion Beats follows Asha (Safiyya Ingar), a bright sixth former set on attending SOAS, as her assignments lead her to discover the work of Dalit lawyer and activist B.R. Ambedkar and begin to question her mother’s idolisation of Mahatma Gandhi. Meanwhile, Asha navigates school bullying and racism along with her younger sister, Bettina (Anoushka Chadha). Two Billion Beats left me with much to process and reflect on, but one message came through clear: we must crucially examine our understanding of mainstream heroes. Such probing questions may just be a step towards radical social justice. Ingar and Chadha are true stars in this production. They could have performed with no set, no lighting or sound effects and still held the audience in the palm of their hands. To keep an audience engaged and invested for so long is such a skill and these talented young actors do so with ease and obvious pleasure. The sisterly dynamic is tangible, and their energy fills me with youthful adrenaline – the odd slip up is easily forgiven. A moment when they catch your eye brings you into the heart of their story and means it’s not something you will forget any time soon. First seen in a 20-minute version in April 2021, as part of the Orange Tree's foray into theatrical streaming Outside, Two Billion Beats is Sonali Bhattacharyya's engaging and vibrant play that explores the relationship between two South Asian teenage sisters as they confront injustice, racism and the realities of growing up. Directed by Nimmo Ismail and Tian Brown-Sampson, with a design by Debbie Duru, Two Billion Beats is a lively story beautifully performed by Shala Nyx and Tanvi Virman, who take the roles first performed by Safiyya Ingar and Anoushka Chadha in 2022. Nyx’s Asha is a fine mixture of breezy outward confidence and inner uncertainty, vulnerability even. Her struggle to reconcile moral imperatives with the expectations of her mum and Mrs L is lovely to watch. Likewise, Virman’s Bettina explores both the comedy of her character, having some of the funniest lines, and its pathos. Very touching. A well-written and sympathetic account of teen life.

Two Billion Beats is a highly believable snapshot of modern adolescent life that also manages to touch on many enduring themes. The production should resonate with everyone; much of the language may be very much of today, but the themes of teenage idealism and trying to find your place in the world are universally timeless. Be ready for a lot of laughs, bring your siblings! Have those conversations and please just have fun. The last thing I want is for people to think this play is just about this deep social political commentary. It’s not just that, it’s about a deep familial relationship, it’s about competitiveness, about sibling rivalry, about school kids, Tik Tok, it’s all there. Come and have fun with us!The younger sister, Bettina – Year Ten to Ascha’s Year Thirteen – can be seen as a victim of this fall-out. All she wants is for Ascha to be on the bus home with her so that she doesn’t have to receive the unwelcome, even bullying, attentions of Adil and his mates. Tian Brown-Sampson helps the pair embody these joined lives as they evolve between the freedom of private hopes and and the weight of public history. I know so many people, not just women, whatever your gender, if you’re part of the diaspora community, come and see this. You’ll have something from your own community that will reflect and ping out as an argument you constantly need to have, or a slur you’re constantly called, or a question you’re constantly confronted with about Britain’s history. We are now really having these frank conversations about how distressing they were, how disgusting they were, how they created generational trauma. And it isn’t going to just wash away – this denial of the British empire and what they did to our countries and these communities, it needs to be spoken about, and attitudes need to change! How have rehearsals been going so far? Directed by Nimmo Ismail, whose work includes Glee & Me by Stuart Slade and The Christmas Star by Russell T Davies (both Royal Exchange Manchester), Fragments by Cordelia Lynn and My England by Somalia Seaton (both at Young Vic), and SNAP by Danusia Samal (The Old Vic).