Dhaka Theatre recently launched a two day long show by its acclaimed production house Panchonari Akhyan at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy. The show entirely focuses on the burning issue of women being oppressed, harassed and neglected in rigid patriarchal societies. The play is written by Harun Rashid and directed by Shahiduzzaman Selim.
As the name suggests, the play is a thematic amalgamation of five monologue pieces depicting five women in different spheres of their life. It shows their journey as these women go through stage after stage of repression and negligence. Rosy Siddique, who has been outdoing herself on stage over the last one and a half decade, has donned all five characters herself.
The tale of five characters includes that of an estranged wife of an expatriate who is blackmailed to be a sex worker. Another character shows the journey of the condemned, barren wife of an impotent husband. She chooses her family’s honour over her will to protest against the physical harassment inflicted on her by her husband. This clearly represents the notion that women are still not recognised as individuals and they are subjugated by their male counterparts. The final act of the play includes Mumtaz Mahal, the mistress (as described in the play) of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, as well as a historical character who urges others to take down all the fabricated myth surrounding her. The play speaks for women by portraying their agonies in different social contexts.
As a production house that focuses on pressing social issues, every scene, especially the one where the mental state of the protagonist is portrayed, Rosy’s subtle acting skills as well as resemblances with the protagonist are evident.
The 37th production of the troupe has employed minimalistic stage design, courtesy of Afzal Hossain while Shimul Yusuf and Chandan Chowdhury have arranged the music which often sufficed in illustrating the mood of the play itself.