Bibishab

A scene from the play

Bibishab depicts the struggles of a middle class woman. Set against the post Liberation War era, Mamun shows the rehabilitation of the Pakistani collaborators.

The central character of the play has lost her beloved husband and two children during the Liberation War. Ironically, the culprit who was responsible for killing her family members in '71, regains his social status after the war, while the woman who sacrificed herself and her family leads a miserable life in an independent Bangladesh. The story might strike a chord with many Bangladeshis.

As the sub- plot of the play, Mamun has depicted the class struggle in a feudal rural social structure. Moreover, the tendency of changing political parties and the politicians' compromise with the enemy for personal interest has also been depicted artistically in the Bibishab.

Director Jamaluddin Hossain's approach to the play is realistic. As a flashback, he has shown the historical speech delivered by Bangobandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on March 7, 1971. Moreover, the migration of the freedom fighters to the border areas and the torture of the Pakistani collaborators have also appeared as the flashback scene in Bibishab. However, the required pace was not maintained throughout the play.

Rezauzzaman Reza's set design is simple. He effectively creates the ambience of a rickshaw garage at the slums with a bamboo fence and spare parts of rickshaws. Light designer Thandu Raihan is simple but effective.

Rawshan Ara Hossain in the sequence when her husband was taken away by the Pakistani collaborators performed with ease. However, this effort was not sustained throughout the play. M Shahjahan, in his brief appearance as Pakistani collaborator, performed well. SM Mohsin as Rustam Kochwan seemed to over act.