Musical Target Platoon and monodrama Kokilara were staged on the second of the four-day Theatre festival organised by Padatin Natya Sangsad (TSC) marking the birth anniversary of its late president Syed Badruddin Hossain.
Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy Reparatory staged Target Platoon, written and directed by theatre personality Mamunur Rashid, at the National Theatre Hall. Another troupe Theatre staged Abdullah Al Mamun’s play Kokilara at the Experimental Theatre Hall.
Target Platoon portrays how a music troupe including people from different professionals like cook, doctor, student, and others emerged as a guerilla force to resist the advancement of the Pakistani invading army during the war of independence in 71. The guerrilla troupe’s code name is Target Platoon, which successfully beat the occupying army while enduring sacrifice, struggle and hardship.
‘Music plays the most important role in the theatre production. About a hundred songs fusing the western and Bangla traditions have been presented in Target Platoon,’ director Mamunur Rashid said.
Artistes from different troupes in the city have acted in the play. Their performance and rendition of songs having different flavours would entertain the audience. Another major attraction of the show was wonderful set and light design by Professor Jamil Ahmed.
‘The play is unexpectedly lengthy, but it is a good play,’ Jahirul Islam, a student, said.
The much acclaimed play Kokilara, written and directed by the late thespian Abdullah-al-Mamun, was staged at the Experimental Theatre Hall of BSA.
Abdullah Al Mamun’s monodrama Kokilara features the crisis of women in the society. The play, acted singly by the renowned Ferdousi Majumdar, shows two women from two different classes afflicted by the same demeaning attitude of the male-dominated society, and their eventual rise against the injustice they had suffered.
Though the original play had three different women representing three different classes- low, middle and high, Sudip Chakrabarty, who reset and redesigned the play, decided to skip the segment with the middle class woman.
It was not for any ‘thematic reason’, Sudip told New Age. He added, ‘It is only because Ferdousi Majumdar is a little ill now, and it would have been very painful for her to act the whole monodrama.’
‘The message of the play is as relevant as it was 25 years ago when we premiered it,’ Ferdousi Majumdar told New Age.
Biplab Pal, a regular theatre-goer who enjoyed the play, said, ‘This is the second time I watched the play. Ferdousi Majumdar performed tremendously well in spite of her illness.’
-With New Age input
