Inspired by Punjabi prince (From This Is Local London)

Inspired by Punjabi prince

5:23pm Thursday 17th August 2006 in

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The idea of an Englishman teaching Punjabis about an 18th Century Sikh leader in India may sound a bit like trying to teach your dadima grandma how to make chapatis. KAY MURRAY speaks to Darren McIlroy about directing an Asian theatre company's play, and his imminent trip to the sub-continent

"I didn't know anything about Maharaja Ranjit Singh and I was fascinated that somebody as devout Sikh as he was could be so liberal in his way of living", enthuses Darren McIlroy.

The 34-year-old, of North View Road, Crouch End, is currently directing Lion of the Punjab, about the maharaja's life.

Ranjit Singh, who ruled the Punjab state from 1801 to 1839, is still celebrated in Asian communities for uniting the Muslim, Hindu and Sikh communities, keeping the British out of his territory and not forcing his faith onto the people as previous rulers had.

The play is being performed by the Punjabi Theatre Academy, based in Southall, west London, and is set for a nationwide tour before embarking on an Indian tour later this Autumn - something Mr McIlroy is eagerly anticipating, having already visited the country to promote the show ealier this year.

"The Academy took me to India to sample the culture out there for five days," said Mr McIlroy. "I went to Amritsar and toured the Golden Temple, it was great. I also had to do a media conference in front of 300 devout Sikhs.

"It was very daunting and not being able to speak Punjabi, I had to do my speech in English. But they seemed to get the gist of what I was saying. Actually I'm a bit of a star out there now," he laughs.

"In November we will be returning to India but this time we will be going to Delhi to commemorate Maharaja Ranjit Singh's birthday and life."

As his first big-scale production as a director, Mr McIlroy admits that he has been intrigued by the story of the leader, who lived such an unconventional life.

"He had many wives, he drank lots and didn't say no to the vices," said Mr McIlroy. "His liberal outlook meant that he accepted everybody else. It is a good lesson to learn, especially in today's climate. This guy lived a few hundred years ago and was trying to ignore the prejudice around religions."

Mr McIlroy was working on another project when he applied for the job as director of the play, after seeing an advertisement in a trade newspaper.

For the last four years, he has been directing Shakespeare schemes in schools across London, including Haringey.

"It is fantastic as you are making Shakespeare accessible to people who normally wouldn't give it a blind bit of notice," he said. "I find that making it relevant to today's issues gets them interested."

Theatre has been a passion of his ever since he started acting for the National Youth and Music Theatre in 1985.

"Since then professional theatre has been my life," said Mr McIlroy. "First and foremost I'm an actor but directing has opened up some doors for me and I am finding out more about myself. It's a massive challenge but it's been fantastic."

But despite his commitments with his new company and The Lion of Punjab, Mr McIlroy has not abandoned his passion for Shakespeare, appearing at the recent Shakespeare Festival in Tring, Hertfordshire.

Ranjit Singh was also a fan of the famous English writer.

"He was very accepting of Shakespeare, although he couldn't read or write," said Mr McIlroy, who explains that despite his illiteracy, the Indian leader was extremely intelligent.

"His is a story that everybody can take something from," he said. "If more people were like Maharaja Ranjit Singh, they would be more accepting, and the world would be a much better place to be.

"These days it all seems to be about land and power and not human beings."

For more information on The Lion of the Punjab, call 020 8232 1010 or email info@punjabitheatreacademy.com