"Shoot me . . . and I will come back again . . . and again . . . and again." — Ashrafi

Danny Ashok as Bilal (Photo: Manuel Harlan)

In a week when the delicate ceasefire between India and Pakistan in the ongoing conflict over the state of Kashmir is broken with more civilian casualties, the Royal Court Upstairs opens Abhishek Majumdar's play about the radicalisation of young Kashmiris in the face of the Indian army oppression. A Djinn is a spirit in Muslim legend which can take on human or animal form and the Eidgah in this case is the burial ground of the martyrs next to the Muslim mosque.

The play opens with two orphans, Ashrafi (Aysha Kala) and Bilal (Danny Ashok) being told tales by their father, Abbajaan (Paul Bazeley), stories of gods and sorcerers and demons. We later learn that Ashrafi has been traumatised by a bus journey to a wedding where her father was killed and died in her arms. Bilal on the other hand has high hopes of being selected for the Kasmiri national football team and escaping to Brazil along with his friend Khaled (Raj Bajaj). The only problem? Between then they have only one pair of football boots.

We meet Dr Baig (Vincent Ebrahim), Ashrafi's psychiatrist, who with his trainee Dr Wani (Ayesha Dharker) runs a clinic to help people recover from psychological damage. Dr Baig's son crossed the border to become a "freedom fighter" and has been killed after training with Afghan and Syrian mujahideen and his body burnt by them. There is a protest march and a child is killed and Bilal does not want to join in the march. The political arguments are voiced when the Djinn (Nikesh Patel), the passionate spirit of his son tells his father what he was fighting for.

The playwright has intertwined myth and reality, spirits and people. Two Indian soldiers (Paul Bazeley and Jaz Deol) discuss the mundanities of being on patrol in the bunker next to the Eidgah, nervous about the protest marches building up. In a frightening scene after a massacre, Bilal goes looking for a pair of football boots but what he finds affects his view of politics and the role he must play in future.

Abhishek Majumdar's play is quite complex and at points obscure because of its many characters, both human and djinn, but the theme is clear about how youth are radicalised by the brutality of repressive regimes and torture.

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The Djinns of Eidgah Written by Abhishek Majumdar Directed by Richard Twyman Starring: Vincent Ebrahim, Danny Ashok, Ayesha Dharker With: Raj Bajaj, Ameet Chana, Jaz Deol, Aysha Kaia, Nikesh Patel Designed by Tom Scutt Composer: Benedict Taylor Sound: David McSeveney Lighting: Natasha Chivers Running time: Two hours 20 minutes with one interval Box Office: 020 7565 5000 Booking to 8th November 2013 Reviewed by Lizzie Loveridge based on 29th August 2013 performance at the Royl Court Jerwood Theatre Upstairs, Sloane Square, London SW1W 8AS (Tube: Sloane Square)

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