Theatre troupe Natnandan made its debut through an experimental play titled “Chandrabatee.” With four shows of the play on four consecutive days starting from August 8 at the EMK Centre, Natnandan made a buzz in the theatre arena. Written and directed by Asma Akhtar Liza, the production is named after the historic figure Chandrabatee who is widely considered as the first poetess in Bengali literature.
The fiction laments the suffering of women in a male dominated society where the female protagonist is forced to take up prostitution as her profession by the men around her.
In the comparatively brief play of forty five minutes, the other characters like Madhablal and Chand Sawdagar are taken from the medieval Bangla folk literature. The story shows a poverty stricken rural society and the truth of what extreme hunger can do to people.
Chandrabatee and Madhablal are married and live by whatever they can get. One day Madhablal leaves home and does not return for many days. When she could not stand the ache of hunger, Chandrabatee is forced to sell her body to the rich men of the village. The character Chand Sawdagar is an admirer of Chandrabatee but denies the fact and marries the daughter of a rich man for the sake of business. In the absence of her husband, he visits Chandrabatee and proposes her to work for him as a sex worker.
The central theme of the play was expressed through the dialogue of Madhablal when he addresses the Creator: “Why have you created me as a man? Why have you given me sexual desires whereas I don’t have the ability to have food?”
The minimalistic set design and relatively small stage lead the audience to concentrate more on the acting. Several folk songs were used to compliment the mood and tension. With the creation of some illusionary scenes in the play, the director made the view worth it.
Hasan Jahid and Sandhan Chakraborty played the characters of Madhablal and Chand Sawdagar respectively, while Asma Akhtar Liza herself played Chandrabatee. Ahsan Hibib Shovon did a great job as the in-charge of the music department.