Dhaka Drama Festival 2004

On July 4, at the Experimental Theatre Stage Padadhowni Theatre staged Babar Biye. However, the play received a lukewarm response from the audience. Monir Hossain's adaptation is not a well-constructed drama. When the playwright strives to focus on social problems, he should not have used poor techniques to generate humour--such as a hermaphrodite as the protagonist of the play. The inclusion of an hermaphrodite in the play would have been logical if only the playwright pointed the social problems faced by these individuals. Moreover, he has used some typical dialects like the dialect of Chittagong, Barisal, Dhaka and others, which are used to generate laughter.

Monir's script at the end has dealt with a serious problem of the society. Monir in Babar Biye shows that the father of the hermaphrodite named Sohrab Ali wants to marry a greedy girl and forces her to marry him. The police instead of arresting Sohrab Ali, a smuggler, makes a scapegoat of three innocent young men for kidnapping the girl.

Director Mahabubur Rahman has realistically handled Babar Biye. He is very much influenced by the contemporary directors of Kolkata.

Mahabubur Rahman, as the set designer, is suggestive. He has used a window and a door to indicate a house on the stage. He has used general light most of the time. But more symbolical colour effect could be used.

Many small groups of Dhaka, like Padadhowni Theatre, face a shortfall of quality artistes. This is one of the major hurdles in staging good plays. The audience would have responded better with seasoned artistes.

Aly Zaker: 'I like to work with enthusiastic artistes'
Eminent theatre personality Aly Zaker is not playing an active role in the Dhaka Drama Festival 2004. However, he has some important comments on the activities of Shilpakala Academy. Zaker said, 'Shilpakala Academy was formed so that the artistes of the country could practice various art forms. However, they are not getting the chance because of some bureaucratic bottlenecks.'

'Dhaka Drama Festival-2004 offers hope for the theatre practitioners as the artistes are getting an opportunity to interact with Shilpakala Academy after a long interval.

Earlier the governmental organisation used to arrange festivals regularly.

That is why, as a theatre worker of the country I like to call it ; 'Ice breaking venture,' Zaker added.

Aly Zaker is the director of the Bhager Manush which will be staged by Samay Shanksritik Goshthi in the festival. Zaker said, 'Outside my group Nagarik Natyasampradaya, the directorial work that I have done, Bhager Manush is the most remarkable play. Mannan Heera has adapted Hindi playwright Sadaat Hasan Manto's Tobatek Singh. I always like to work with new and enthusiastic talents.'

Ershad Kamol