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Woes of women during Liberation War take stage on 7th day


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Imam Hossain
 As the ongoing national theatre festival, Muktijuddher Jatiya Natyautsab-2012, reaches its final days, theatre-lovers in the city are in a treat to enjoy some quality theatrical productions.

As part of its current programme, Swadhinatar 40 Bochhor O Shilper Aloy Mohan Muktijuddha, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA), in association with Bangladesh Group Theatre Federation, is holding the festival in an attempt to highlight the spirit of Liberation War and four decades of Independence.

On Monday evening, the seventh day of the festival, theatre-lovers came across a total of six plays—all out of Dhaka—they were short yet sure to provoke one’s thoughts with the spirit of the Liberation War. The plays that were staged on the day were Chittagong-based theatre troupe Nandikar’s Court Martial at National Theatre Main Hall; Munshiganj District Shilpakala Academy’s Juddha Gantha at Experimental Theatre Hall; Majida Adrasha Mahabidyaloy (Kurigram)’s Rakte Jwale Swadhinata at Studio Theatre Hall, Dohar Nababganj College’s Smriti 71 at Studio Theatre Hall; Carmichael University College (Rangpur)’s Ekhoni Somoy and Bhawal Badare Alam Government College’s Jagrata Chourangi at National Music and Dance Auditorium of the academy.

Of them, Nandikar’s Court Martial and Munshiganj District Shilpakala Academy’s Juddha Gantha grabbed the attention of theatre-goers. Woes of women during the War of Liberation were highlights in both the plays.

Written by Ruma Modak, directed by theatre personality Aktaruzzaman and performed by the theatre activists of Munshiganj, Juddha Gantha is a tale of an insane woman named Shefalir Ma who is believed to undergo tough times during the War of Liberation. In the backdrop of her woes, the playwright tries to weave the sacrifice of Bangalee nation to win their desired freedom which came in cost of a priceless sacrifice of 3 million souls and chastity of countless women during the nine-month war.

The cast of the play included, among others, Farzana Ashrafee, Afsana Akter, Swrnalata Shimu, Afreen, Jahan Keya, Kanak Akter, Mahmudul Hasan, Anik, Shamim Hossain and Shusmoy Sarkar.

Court Martial, which is mainly a production of Dhaka-based theatre troupe Theatre Art Unit’s first production, has been reproduced by Nandikar with a few changes.

Late theatre icon SM Solaiman had adapted the play from Salil Sarkar’s translation of Indian playwright Swades Dipak’s work and Alok Ghosh did the direction for Nandikar’s Court Martial.

The play confronts the audience with a question: is it possible for human beings to avoid inherent jealousy or cruelty? In Court Martial, the playwright has tried to find out the truth from the most disciplined institution of a nation—he army.

The play is based on a sensitive issue—the dilemmas of the offspring of the Biranganas and the assimilation of the children of the Pakistani collaborators into the society after the Liberation War.

The cast of the play included Alok Ghosh, Abdul Hadi, Biswajeet, Shahed Alam, Aparna Ghosh, Badiul Alam Badal and Mrittika Ghosh.

[ Culturetainment ] 2012-07-11