Dhaka Drama Festival 2004
The play portrays the depressed proletariat
Quite often, rulers turn into oppressors. In the bargain, it is the common people who have to suffer. Indian playwright Manoj Mitra, in his playNarak Gulzar, raises a pertinent question: Is the supreme ruler Brahma, the creator, also an oppressor? If the answer is in the negative, why does the Omnipotent one allow the status quo to continue?
Hard questions, such as the above, remained uppermost in the minds of the audience who saw the play Narak Gulzar. The work was staged by Drishyapat on July 18 at the Experimental Theatre Stage.
Mitra's allegorical play Narak Gulzar is a satire on the oppressive tendency of the evil feudal lords, corrupt businessmen, terrorists, controversial religious leaders and evil politicians. The blame for creating a hell-like situation on earth was squarely laid at the door of these autocratic people. The setting of the play Narak Gulzar is earth, hell and heaven. The gods Brahma, Narad and Jamraj as well as some human beings are the characters in the play.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. In Narak Gulzar, Brahma says, 'I have given power to those people who want it. And only to keep the balance, I have created the proletariat.' The gods have sometimes been portrayed in a controversial light. For instance, in his allegorical play Mitra shows Brahma taking a bribe from the evil doers. Of the gods he has shown Narad and Jamraj better than the other gods.
However, Mitra is optimistic in the conclusion. At the end of the play, he has shown the victory of the proletariat over the oppressors.
The typical dialect of Kolkata has been used in the play.
Hasan Shahriar has failed to direct the allegory properly. Because of his flawed direction, the messages of the allegorical satire become weighty for the audience. His set design as well as the light design is also not up to the mark.
However, Hasan Shahriar as Brahma performed well. As Narad, Ali Mahmud's performance, especially his Bhajans, were well appreciated. The other performers need to hone their skills.
'I deal with fundamentalism in my plays'-- Mannan Heera
Mannan Heera is a popular stage playwright in the country. His two plays-- Mayur Shinghashon and Bhager Manush-- are scheduled for the Dhaka Drama Festival 2004. Of those, Aranyak Natya Dal has already staged Mayur Shinghashon and Samay Shankskritik Goshthi will stage the latter on July 23, at the closing day of the festival.
Regular member Aranyak Natya Dal, Mannan said, 'I like to deal with religious issues, particularly fundamentalism, in my plays. In Mayur Shinghashon, I have written about the sufferings of many Hindus people who had to leave their motherland during the Partition of India only for their religious belief. And in Bhager Manush, I wrote about the brutal riot that took place in 1947 during the partition of the Indian sub-continent. I have adapted the play from Urdu playwright Saadat Hassan Manto's Tobatek Singh.'
'There are many quality plays in the festival, however, I like SM Solaiman's Golapjan most. The reason behind my liking Golapjan is that the play includes colourful lifestyle of the people of the old Dhaka widely known as Dhakaia,' Mannan added.
Within a few days Mannan Heera will complete another script.
Ershad Kamol