Faridpur Theatre presents Kajol Rekha
The play starts with a chorus introducing the early life of Kajol Rekha, the daughter of a wealthy merchant. However, her father loses his wealth while gambling and is, therefore, unable to arrange her marriage. At this moment, a mendicant appears on stage to show him the way out by giving him a Shuk Pakhi (a bird symbolising happiness) and orders him to follow its advice. According to the suggestions of the Shuk Pakhi, he deserts his daughter in a forest where she finds a dead prince in an old temple. Kajol Rekha adopts the path of renunciation in the hope that the prince will come alive and they could be married. Thus the play's plot unfolds.
During the adaptation of the play, director Zahid Ripon has fused several new elements to the original story such as the chorus in the very first sequence, the scene of Kajol Rekha with her brother in the garden. His approach to the play is quite contemporary. Showing the dark side of gambling, he portrays the negative aspects of the society and interrelates these items with the story of the play.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Zahid has successfully presented the play in the form of Bangla Lokonattyo, an indigenous genre of Bangla drama. The performers symbolised boat, temple and forest in accordance with the sequences by using their body and scarf. The music composition of the play drew a sizeable audience as the lyrics are taken from popular folk songs.
Pragnya Laboni as Kajol Rekha, Majedur Rahman Royal as an old minister and Salauddin Sumon as Sonadhor were impressive. However, the choreography and light design needs to be improved.
Kajol Rekha is a group production. The body language and performance of the artistes deserve kudos.