A modern take on the tale of Romeo and Juliet has opened its stars’ eyes to the shocking number of girls who are forced into marriages within the Asian communities in the UK.

“We have had people come up to us at the end of the show and say ‘that was 80 per cent my life‘,“ says Krupa Pattani, who plays teenager Caneze in Blood, the new production from the East End theatre company, Tamasha, which comes to Redbridge in two weeks as part of its UK tour.

Her character meets fellow Muslim Sully in the college canteen and sparks fly, but they find their fledgling love jeopardised by her gangster brother and the man her family want her to marry.

“I also did research beforehand about honour killings and how girls are coerced into marriage and was really shocked by the level of things happening,“ says Krupa.

“I think a lot of people don‘t know about this because it’s taboo and communities don‘t want to be seen as bad, so they don‘t deal with it properly and people don‘t want to talk about it as they are ashamed.“

Krupa, who was born and raised in Enfield and had her first professional role with Rich Mix-based company Tamasha in 2002, says she was drawn to the role because of its truth and unique use of language.

“It‘s written in verse and structured like Shakespeare, but is all ‘Nandos is the best, it’s Halal scene‘. It‘s all rude boy and girl language. I found that a real challenge and interesting.

“Also there is a lot of authenticity in the writing. I haven‘t experienced Sully and Caneze‘s world on a personal level, but I know them through the writing because there is so much heart and truth in it that it bowled me over.“

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The gritty urban story may draw parallels with Shakespeare, but it has been set in a Midlands Pakistani community, with their romance played out in Nandos and shisha bars.

“It‘s very much a 21st Century urban love story,“ says Krupa.

“What sets it apart is it’s boy meets girl but it’s two British Pakistani Muslims, and as well as negotiating whether they can be together they are negotiating themselves in the world.“

She stars in the hard-hitting two-hander with Adam Samuel-Bal and we discover the other characters and plot twists, including Sully being beaten up and Caneze being raped, entirely through the couple‘s conversations.

“It‘s them on stage saying what they think of the world and their lives,“ explains the 31-year-old. “They are from the same backgrounds, but it is about what people expect of them.“

Krupa, who grew up with her Asian Hindu family in north London and studied acting at Winchester University and Drama Studio London, says she understands having to decide between your family‘s wishes and your own.

“I have experienced that, but in subtle ways,“ says the actress who now lives in Finchley.

“Growing up I had my Gujarati world at home, but then there was the Western world, and I had to make decisions about how I felt about things. It‘s the negotiation of identity that I share with Caneze.“ 

Redbridge Drama Centre, Churchfields, South Woodford, E18 2RB, June 1 and 2. Details: 020 8708 8800, redbridgedramacentre.co.uk