Lal Jamin, a theatrical expression of the struggle of a woman during the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971 and its aftermath, saw its 60th staging on December 27 at the Studio theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.
Written by Mannan Heera and directed by Sudip Chakroborty, the play is a monodrama that represents the suppression of the female freedom fighters and is a production of theatre troupe Shunyan. The brilliant performance by acclaimed theatre actor Momena Chowdhury, who enacts a total of 15 roles in the play, made the production a loved one for the theatre aficionados. Besides staging in Bangladesh, Shunyan has so far staged the play three times in London and several times in different cities in India.
The play is set against the backdrop of a village and focuses on an adolescent girl and her carefree days. As the war breaks out, her father joins the Mukti Bahini, (pro-Liberation forces). Following her father’s path and also being influenced by a young freedom fighter, the young girl joins the pro-Liberation forces. But the girl, along with other freedom fighters, is captured by the Pakistani occupation forces. They encage her till the war is over.