Gazi Rakayet on Poribar O Ekti Company
In Rakayet's own words, "Since the drama serial deals with contemporary social issues, it doesn't have a fixed outline. However, we plan to bring down the curtains on the 65th episode."
What is the reason behind that in the age of mega serials? To quote Rakayet, "Poribar O Ekti Company is a comedy for thinking people. However, the time slot of the drama serial -- 7:50pm-- is not convenient for most social and active individuals. That is the only reason behind opting out of the play. However, we have a plan to make a telefilm each year with same title, cast and set, but with a different theme. As our aim is to satire the contemporary social and political issues, we will decide the theme of the play after analysing the current scene."
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. "Making the tele-film of Poribar O Ekti Company will be a little difficult, as the set of the play departs from that currently used in TV plays. Like the sitcoms overseas, we had a fixed, colourful indoor set. We will have to put up a set again for the tele-film."
Poribar O Ekti Company is Gazi Rakayet's first drama serial as a director. Prior to that Rakayet had directed and acted in a good number of single-episode TV plays. Moreover, he is a playwright. Reminiscing on his early days, Rakayet says, "I embarked on my acting career with the theatre group Batikrom. Later I joined Nagorik Natyasampradaya in 1989 and I still perform in Nagorik productions. Besides acting, I have directed, adapted and designed stage sets. My adaptations such as Shada Ghora, Bolod and Konyadan have fetched acclaim. With the exception of Balad, I have directed all of the mentioned plays."
What's his take on TV plays as a profession? To quote Rakayet, "Nowadays, TV plays are the only source of living for a sizeable number of artistes. Besides discovering new talents, package drama has spawned professionalism in amateur TV plays. To give it a proper shape, the government should immediately introduce certain policies for these programmes. This will help generate transparency in the growing industry and no artiste will be left out in the cold."