With the number of television channels increasing, the media world has been seeing more and more women in work here, not only on the screen but behind it too. Yet the number of women playwright and directors are not as much as it should to be. To provide an opportunity for the women directors to showcase their work, satellite television channel Desh TV has taken a formidable initiative on the occasion of Eid. A total of seven special TV plays, directed exclusive by women directors will be aired during the channel’s seven-day Eid special programme.
The directors include Subarana Mustafa (with the play ‘Shunya’), Sara Zaker (Gopon Kotha Ebong Load-shedding), Bipasha Hayat (Amra Samudra Dekhte Giyechhilam)’, Sadia Islam Mou (Niruddesh), Munira Morshed Munni (Maer Kachhe Phera), Chayanika Chowdhury(Jara Brishtite Bhijechhilo) and Sumona Siddique (Na Pathano Chhithi). The plays will be telecast during the seven-day programme at 7:45pm everyday.
With this occasion, four directors–Sadia Islam Mou, Munira Morshed Munni, Bipasa Hayat and Sumona Siddiqui are making their debut as director.
‘It is a laudable initiative, yet I would not prefer the discriminating term ‘Woman Director’ as an attribute for me,’ said the talented actor Bipasha Hayat who has already gained acclaims for writing script for Television plays. About the hurdles she had to face during her directorial venture, she said, ‘I faced the same kind of problems a male director would face, such as insufficient budget.’ However, Hayat is not quite sure whether she would continue directing plays in the future, ‘If I feel like, I’ll consider it,’ she said.
One among the directors, seasoned actor Sara Zaker thinks that the media has now going through a positive development encouraging women to come forward in directing. ‘With initiatives like this, Television channels can play a crucial role to increase women’s participation in the media,’ she mentioned.
Debuting director Sumona Siddique said, ‘confident is a must for the women who want to take directing as career. I think this is what will take her a long way.’
Desh TV head of the programme Pervez Chowdhury told New Age that the initiative is a part of their effort to present new ideas in programmes for different occasions including Eid and Puja.
