Afroza Banu: Propagating single episode plays on TV

Afroza has also made a kaleidoscopic journey in the sphere of theatre. Her performance in the stage plays such as Dui Bon, Rakkhoshi, Shat Ghater Kanakori, Shesh Rakkha, King Lear and Rupban won plaudits from the audience. A regular member of Theatre (Baily Road), Afroza says, "I joined Theatre in 1977. My first role on the stage was that of Urmimala in the play Dui Bon. Later, I performed as the substitute of another artiste in the play Payer Awaj Pawa Jay. I was one of the members, who visited Korea in 1982 to stage Payer Awaj Pawa Jay. Later, along with some senior members of the Theatre, I left the troupe on account of some differences, and registered an organisation named Theatre (Baily Road)."

What is the reason for the fissures within Bangladeshi theatre troupes? Afroza has an answer, "There may be many reasons. Mostly I think the phenomenon is caused by personality clashes. We are not accustomed to constructive criticism. If anyone protests against a misdeed, we take it personally and regard the person as an opponent. Likewise, there could be members of troupes who think their ideas are not properly evaluated. Sometimes, in assigning roles talent often gives way to nepotism."

On the current scenario of theatre in Bangladesh, Afroza says, "There is a dearth of playwrights. As a result, adapted or translated foreign plays are frequently staged. Moreover, there is a paucity of directors and designers. What is also disturbing is the viewer's preference for low grade entertaining stage plays."

"Young people tend to join theatre troupes in the hope that they can use the medium as a stepping stone to switch to the TV channels. What's more is that present day artistes are reluctant to join big groups since they feel they may not get their due amidst the star artistes. Clearly, the young generation is after shortcuts," bemoans Afroza.

Enlisted in 1977 as a TV artiste, Afroza has performed in a sizeable number of TV serials. What difference does she find between the standard of the earlier popular TV serials like Shokal Shondhya and contemporary works? To quote Afroza, "A good number of quality TV serials are still being aired. Some of these plays are even better than Shokal Shondhya. We have to bear in mind that in the early days there was only one channelBTV. Viewers did not have many options, with the result that they used to watch the plays regularly. Today, with the mushrooming of satellite channels, viewers switch from one channel to another. That is why they miss many of the quality plays."

In a similar vein, Afroza continues, "Package drama, especially the TV serials, need to be streamlined. After the introduction of package programmes, anyone can emerge as a director or actor. However, I am optimistic. As long as the package drama takes the ideal form of an industry, the mediocre artistes will have to drop out and only the talented people will be evaluated. I think, instead of airing drama serials twice a week, it should take the proper shape of the 'daily soap'. Moreover, each of the channels must air one-hour single-episode plays. As an actress as well as a viewer I believe single episode plays are the ideal form of TV drama in Bangladesh."