Written by prolific Australian playwright Alex Buzo, Norm and Ahmed (1968) was the subject of a tremendous amount of controversy when it was released. Originally, the play ended with the line "f*cking boong," an ethnic slur. The actor who used this line - which was supposed to be changed for the performance - was imprisoned, leading to concerns about censorship.
Regardless, Norm and Ahmed tells the story of eponymous Norm and Ahmed. Norm is a middle-aged, xenophobic war veteran who one day comes into contact with Ahmed, a younger man from Pakistan, at a bus station. The two talks about their lives, their beliefs, and just about everything else in this one-act play which the Sydney Morning Herald called the play "culturally important" and said that the play "reminds [us] that we must remain vigilant against reactionary ignorance and commonplace racism."
