By Jennifer Beasley.
Danish Sheikh’s love letter to the rigid and outdated stance of Indian LAW, skilfully weaves Taylor Swift, Queer rights and heartbreakingly asks – What became of Kokila?
** NB: Trigger Warning. (References to violent sexual assault).
I’m going to preface this review with the trigger warning and the fact that there was no indication of this content on the promotional material. I’m stating it very clearly here, so that anyone going to see this play does so with the full knowledge that within the play there is both written description of sexual assault, and verbal references.
Danish Sheikh may have won the 2025 Queer Playwrighting Award for the shorter version of Much To Do With Law, But More To Do With Love (now expanded to 60 minutes), but seems to have missed the memo on written subject sensitivity disclaimers, which, although he does add a verbal disclaimer at the start of the play, isn’t enough to truly warn anyone and is unexpected.
What then does this have to do with the play, Indian Law, Taylor Swift, and most importantly of all, Kokila?
Danish Sheikh has developed a powerful lecture-type play that explores his experiences as a young gay student lawyer in India, where, at the time, the colonial legacy of British law had a typical homophobic insert called Section 377. This law mandated that anyone persons of LGBTQ+ who engaged in any form of activity (sodomy) be classed as a criminal. As my companion stated, she was moved by the acceptance of Sheikh that he was, in fact, a criminal at this time, purely because he was expressing himself freely, yet constantly in fear that he could be arrested.
With the use of a back screen, ChatGPT and a pumping Taylor Swift song (Love Story), Sheikh opens strongly, using his own brand of self-deprecating humour to ease the audience along his thematic statement: You can love the law, but it can’t love you back.
Excellent design (AV and set) by Asha Barr (Running Into The Sun) very sensitively done with lovely playful moments and a good mix of music too, with Dramaturgical support By Gabrielle Fallen (Mature Skin) and proactive direction by Vidya Rajan (Crisis Actor, In Search of Lost Scroll) who surprisingly became part of this play. Loved this creative element where her voice over recalibrates the play back into a more nuanced and thoughtful narrative. This support improved the play greatly.
Using Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey diagram, Sheikh posits himself as the obvious hero. After all, why not? He’s handsome, articulate and clever.
His call to arms happens when Sheikh is invited by a conscientious group of lawyers wishing to overturn the Section 377 ruling to write an Affidavit that they could submit in their case at the supreme Court in India in 2012, in the very famous Koushai vs Naz Foundation court case. (It takes 20 years, but they ultimately are successful).
The effects of section 377 had terrible consequences for the LGBTQ+ community, even though this law was in violation of the Indian Constitutional Bill Of Rights.
However, with grace and quite a healthy dose of humour, Sheikh’s emotional Affidavit is ‘butchered’ by the legal team and reworded in a more appropriate ‘legal speak’.
This leads Sheikh into his Dark Night Of The Soul moment, where his overinflated sense of importance is questioned, regardless of his twice gold medallist University law awards and 500 listening notches of Love Song. (A very funny scene where Sheikh admits to the hyperinflation of adoration of Taylor Swift and the implied association to his feelings for the craft of Law nicely links these two elements together).
Then the Affidavit of Kokila is introduced.
Kokila is a Hijra. I’ve studied these deeply transformative and spiritual women, who have always been considered the third gender of Indian society. These sacred individuals, who have been men and now are considered women, are often considered spiritual beings, and are linked to the Goddess Bachuchara Mata. This Goddess is seen as the symbol for empowerment and identity.
A very powerful statement for the LGBTQ+ community.
Enhancing the spiritual significance of Kokila, is her very name. She chose the name, Kokila, as her identity. Sheikh references why, as the poignant writing of Kokila broadcasts loudly upon the screen. Her name means Cuckoo (as in the bird) and it would have been useful to understand that the symbolism of the name is anchored deep in Indian mythology. The cuckoo is the harbinger of spring; it’s song often associated with love and longing. I felt a stronger link to Taylor Swift’s songs would have done well here. The bird is also sometimes associated with the God of Love, Kamadeva.
The Affidavit outlines the terrible assault, police brutality and diminishment that Kokila suffers.
Then, the Supreme Court Judges questions Sheikh. How do we know this is true? Can it be proved?
Sadly, no. Sheikh flashes up a photo of Kokila as she marches with masses of women, women who support and love her, this tender and beautiful Cuckoo, whose spiritual and physical presence is erased not only by the attackers and police, but the very law Sheikh cherishes.
Then the play takes a strange turn. Still sort of following the transformational section of the Hero’s journey, Sheikh turns to writing a play, ‘Contempt’ which speaks from Kokila’s point of view.
Sheikh takes his lecture/play to the law university, trying to change the law to repel Section 377. It’s not clear if he was also seeking justice for Kokila either, and the playwriting waters become muddy with this storyline and becomes overly busy thematically, (with some Kill Your Darling references to Sheikh’s PhD which did nothing to propel the story forward), with Sheikh’s Hero story and the trauma porn of gross misjustice and violence of one night in a trans woman’s life that is not the true story of this woman, and for me, I felt a great loss of her presence, a further diminishing of her humanness and spiritual self as her trauma becomes the backdrop for several plays.
It is upon reflection that Sheikh asks, What Became of Kokila?
The answer?
She disappeared.
Worth seeing this interesting lecture/play that certainly gets the audience thinking, and a wonderful narration of the brutality of legal criminality of homosexuality.
This play is supported by the very fabulous Gasworks Arts Park and the amazing Aphids Odyssey Odyssey Program who give so many artists support.
Much To Do With Law, But More To Do With Love is playing at 7:00 pm at Gasworks until 7th February 2026.
