Short Takes
Celebrity couple and theatre activists Shahiduzzaman Selim and Rosy Siddiqui recently staged their new stage playKurukkhetrain Glasgow, Scotland. The couple was invited as representatives of Bangladesh to participate in a festival organised by Bengali Performing Art, a cultural group of the expatriate Bangalees in Scotland recently. According to Rosy, "Among the performances by all four participant groups from UK and Kolkata, ours were considered as the best one and we were awarded for it." Written by Harun ur Rashid and directed by Shahiduzzaman Selim, this play held its maiden show in the festival. The 45-minute play is about an expatriate couple who miss their country and long to return home. Rosy says, "The response of the Bangalee audience was satisfactory. Such appreciation is a great inspiration for me as it was my first performance in Europe."
Mannan Hira's new ventures
The popular playwright Mannan Hira, who has written the script of Champa Dangar Bou and Shawkat Osman's Janani, is working on other classic novels. He is preparing scripts for Char Odhyay by Rabindranath Tagore, Chander Omaboshya by Syed Waliullah and Parineeta by Sharatchandra Chattapadhyay. As he said, "I will be true to the basic essence of the original stories. I am committed to give an authentic portrayal of these classic novels." The other two yet-to-be-named scripts he is working on are for stage plays. One is his own creation and the other one is an adaptation from Bertrand Russell.
Yet another serial in Bangkok
Three young friends, students of Dhaka University, fly to Bangkok for a vacation. There they meet a couple who has come to the same spot for a honeymoon. These people get so carried away with the scenic beauty of big mountains surrounded by blue sea, they can hardly keep a lid on their feelings. Their feelings give a twist to the story. This is the basic theme of the TV serial Neel Joler Bhalobasha. Written by Mannan Hira and directed by Azizul Hakim, the serial will be shot in Bangkok. The artistes, including Mahfuz Ahmed, Tarin, Farah Ruma, Azizul Hakim, Farzana Chhabi and Sharmin Shila are now shooting in Thailand. Their work done, they are scheduled to return by July 20.
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