They are city bankers with designer wives, secretive sons with double lives and Bradford brothers with village ties.

They are macho men, metrosexual guys, mummy's boys tied to the apron strings and husbands under the thumb.

They are all Asian men and their lives, hopes and fears are exposed in a play created entirely from real-life interviews, some of which were done in Bradford.

The Trouble With Asian Men, running during the Bollywood Oscars fringe festival, lifts the lid on modern-day Asian man and what he's like behind closed doors.

Created by Tamasha, the London-based theatre company behind the original stage production of East is East, the play is performed verbatim from recorded interviews with a variety of men.

More than 160 hours of interviews were condensed to an hour and the dialogue is delivered by four actors reciting the recorded words as they are played into their ears on headphones. The result is a funny, revealing collage of impressions based on the experiences and opinions of real husbands, fathers, sons, brothers, friends and colleagues.

Playwright and actress Sudha Bhuchar, who co-created the play with Kristine Landon-Smith and Louise Wallinger, says carrying out and slimming down the interviews was a "painstaking process".

"We spent a weekend in Bradford doing interviews," says Sudha. "We used recordings from two boys we met a café and a taxi driver. All the interviews were recorded then edited and from that we created a script.

"Although the actors become familiar with the script they pick up new nuances each time they hear the recorded interviews. The pauses and rhythms of speech are as interesting as what they're saying.

"The verbatim technique requires a great deal of skill. Some dialogue is delivered in dualogues and some in monologues and the cast of four play a variety of characters between them - including female ones.

"Reciting lines from real interviews brings a truth to the play. It's all about the dialogue. It's very sub-textual; there's a father talking about his relationship with his children who ends up reflecting on his relationship with his own father, which he says lacked warmth, there's a sacrifice son' in an arranged marriage who finds his mother totally relying on him when his father dies, and a Sikh boy talking about having his hair cut for the first time.

"These are all Asian experiences but they cover universal themes of family, love, careers and friendship. It's a tapestry of life as seen by the interviewees. Some are funny, some are poignant, all are revealing."

Tamasha has played a key role in driving the crossover of Asian culture into the British mainstream with a range of productions, including adaptations of classic literature, improvised comedy, vibrant musicals and groundbreaking new writing.

Ever since the company made waves with East is East, the popular comedy about the conflicts within an Anglo/Asian family which went on to become a hit film, the company has been putting the lives of British Asians on centre stage.

"East is East was the turning point," says Sudha. "It opened the door to the mainstream and gave rise to other films and dramas reflecting the complexities of Asian cultures. Our plays tell stories from an Asian perspective but each one is completely different."

The company also develops new acting, writing, directing and design talent through its Developing Artists initiative.

"There isn't the same kind of springboard for Asian performers and writers as there is generally, and many people have said that without us there would be a void," says Sudha, who is about to start filming for her new role, playing the girlfriend of paramedic Josh in Casualty. "I think audiences are much more receptive to productions reflecting Asian cultures, it's the venues that don't seem to be so open and willing to take a risk."

The Trouble With Asian Men runs at the Alhambra Studio on Wednesday and Thursday. For tickets ring (01274) 432000.