'I had never thought that I would perform in a play directed by Tropa.'--Ferdausi Majumdar

In Madhobi, she plays the small role of a narrator and in Mukti, she performs the interesting role of a mother. Why role of a mother?

She says, ' The character is confronted with problems faced by most mothers. In such cases, there is a distance between children and mothers in urban areas, particularly when the former become adults. Everybody seems to be busy with their personal interest in the metros. I enjoy doing the role because the play has a contemporary touch.'

Talking about performing Mukti under the direction of her daughter Tropa, she says, 'I had never thought that I would perform in a play, directed by Tropa. I am really excited and proud because in the early days I did not want her to be too involved with theatre.

'As a director Tropa has a clear idea of what she wants from her cast--the basic requirement for a director. She instructed me to do this or that during the rehearsal for Mukti. In turn, I gave some suggestions, a few of which she accepted. As a professional actress, I simply tried to perform in tune with my director's guidelines,' she adds.

Outlining the agenda of the festival, Ferdausi says, 'All of the participating plays in the festival have a popular and contemporary touch. Foreign playwrights craft our two productions. Madhobi is the adaptation from the epic Mahabharata by Indian dramatist Bhisham Sahni and Mukti is the translation of contemporary American playwright Lee Blessings' Independence. And the dramatists of the other plays like Rabindranath Tagore, Mamunur Rashid, Selim Al Deeen and young Masum Reza are all very talented playwrights. I am hopeful of the festival's success.'