Best friends Zaid and Neelam shared a dream: get away, make it as writers, build a future where they’re free to be themselves. Together, always.
Years later, things are far from what they expected. Zaid’s life has kinda stalled – he’s half out the closet, living at home and still chasing the dream. While Neelam’s has taken a completely different path as she chooses to prioritise her own happiness. As their lives pull further apart, leaving a mess of unsaid things between them, it’s going to take something real to bring them back together.
Waleed Akhtar’s play The Real Ones is a funny and honest love letter to platonic soulmates. It was first performed at the Bush Theatre, London, in 2024, directed by Anthony Simpson-Pike, and starring Nathaniel Curtis and Mariam Haque.
‘Cements Akhtar’s standing as a fearless writer with oodles of talent and bravura who can navigate plot with feeling… the script has a pull and charisma that makes you want to keep on watching’
— Guardian
‘Intelligent and touching… effervescent warmth and sequin-bright wit… tender and heartfelt… peppered with sharp-clawed one-liners on race and sexuality’
— Telegraph
‘Beautifully observed… where Akhtar really nails it is in perfectly capturing the special kind of love between a gay man and his female best friend – and the peculiar sadness of losing that love when life gets in the way’
— Time Out
‘Akhtar again reveals a remarkable ability gently to burrow towards the heart of difficult conversations… The writing probes the complexities of race and class… fascinating’
— WhatsOnStage
‘Akhtar has such a gift for naturalistic, colloquial and relatable dialogue… The script dances along… The comedy is crucially character-driven… the play’s themes are truly universal’
— LondonTheatre1
‘A slow-burning tale that is as full of humour, melodrama and passionate relationship moments as real life… captivating to watch’
— Reviews Hub
‘A sharply observed look into whether platonic love can last… Akhtar writes accurately and perceptively about the friendships gay men have with women, with uncanny realism and laugh-out-loud humour. The Real Ones is a warm and thought-provoking story of platonic love and coming of age, both specific and universal… an impactful, relatable play from a very exciting writer’
— Broadway World
