Set in the backdrop of Ypres in Belgium during World War One a group of Indian and British soldiers seek refuge in a barn and must find a way to work together if they are to survive.

The plot of Wipers, whilst being inspired by the real life story of Khudadad Khan, the first Indian man to receive the Victoria Cross, is a stereotypical narrative for any WW1 production.

The show begins with the sound of birds tweeting harmoniously throughout the theatre and gradually the lights shine through the set of an abandoned barn. We, the audience, start quietening down when suddenly the auditorium and stage lights go out. We are bombarded with a series of loud noises and flashing lights representing the bombs outside.

This is when we are introduced to Sadiq (Simon Rivers) an Indian soldier who begins looking around the barn pointing his rifle in all directions.

Nervous British commander Thomas (Jassa Ahluwalia) then enters the barn. When we first meet these characters they both can be seen to juxtapose each other. Sadiq comes across as being brave and follows his orders whereas Thomas is constantly shaking and even vomits.

Although the character development is lacking, these two particular characters have a sort of role reversal as the play progresses. We learn more about Sadiq’s character and he becomes more emotional as revelations of his past surface. Thomas on the other hand, although still nervous, he steps into his role as commander and gains the respect of his ‘brothers’.

With only a cast of four the production can be seen to be limited as to where the narrative can go. However writer Ishy Din and director Suba Das bring humour and emotions to the production. The dialogue, or be it limited dialogue, between Thomas and AD (Sartaj Garewal) brought a more light-hearted side to the show. AD cannot speak English and Thomas cannot speak Punjabi so they rely heavily on Sadiq and Ayub (Waleed Akhtar) to translate to each other.

When speaking Punjabi, the three Indian soldiers speak in proper English but when they speak with Thomas each of them uses an Indian accent.

Wipers is a show full of small elements which help to enhance the theatre experience. In the background there is more or less constant noises of guns and bombs going off even through the dialogue scenes.

Although inspired by Khudadad Khan the show never introduces him as a physical character despite being mentioned quite frequently.

Without knowing the story of Khudadad Khan you can be left in the dark as to why he is being mentioned. Perhaps a deeper knowledge of what happened during this war is needed to fully appreciate and understand the context.Wipers is still a show about the coming together of four different people, working out their differences and becoming ‘brothers’.