Sonai Bibir Pala staged

A glimpse of the play Sonai Bibir Pala

Her comment mirrored the productions staged on the second day (January 3) of the festival. Sonai Bibir Pala was staged by the Bangladeshi troupe, Centre for Asian Theatre (CAT). The play an adaptation of Beernarayaner Pala, a popular narrative of Purba Banga Geetika, is not just a love story. Through the tragic end of the central characters' affair, young playwright Raihan Aktar has dealt with a contemporary issue -- the conflict between religion and humanism.

Director Kamaluddin Nilu has not only used the narrative technique (the traditional form of pala gaan), he has blended several other theatrical forms as well. Particularly in the 'post-marriage scene', Sanskrit theatre forms like Parikrama (circular movement) and Patti (using of curtain) have been used. And in the composition of the 'Zamindar's court scene', the artistes have followed the typical rhythmic high-pitched voice modulation used in jatra.

Several renowned Indian theatre personalities attended the play at Sri Ram Centre Auditorium. Kirti Jain, a professor of NSD, said, "I thoroughly enjoyed the show. I was amused by the aesthetic presentation of the indigenous performing art forms in the play."

Veteran Indian actor-director Usha Ganguli said, "The show was really enjoyable." Rekha Jain, an actor said, "Dance and music presented by the artistes, especially the actor who performed in the role of Sonai Bibi (Shamima Akhtar) was outstanding."

However, S Viren, of Manipuri theatre academy had a critical comment on the play. He said, "The costume design is influenced by Manipuri tradition, which is not acceptable in case of a production which features Bangalee culture. I liked the visual images that have been created."

The rest of the plays staged on the second day were Indian productions. The audience with high hope went to watch Katha Collage 2, directed by eminent actor Nasiruddinm Shah. It is a production of Motley, a theatre troupe from Mumbai.

However, the way eminent director Anuradha Kapur presented Shakespeare's popular romantic play Romeo and Juliet was a spectacular production. Kapur has presented the love story with a postmodern connotation. It was a production of Theatre Department, Punjab University.

The other two plays staged on the second day were Dark Horse and Midnight's Children.