The drama
Shakuntala has been performed at National Shilpakala Academy auditorium, which is directed by renowned Manipuri dancer, and co-founder of Bhabna (dance company), Samina Husain Prema. The drama was staged under the auspicious story and play
Abhighyan Shakuntalam, by the great poet, Kalidasa, who extracted it from the
Aadiparba and
Padmapuran chapters of the
Mahabharata. Although Kalidasa adapted the play, he kept his own signature in his version. The prime inspiration for the drama is mortality and love.
“The entire story is being depicted through a number of Kazi Nazrul Islam's songs, which have been precisely picked to portray the narrative accurately,” said Samina Husain prema director and leading performer of this drama.
Before performing the dance-drama, Asaduzzaman Noor, Minister of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs and journalist, cultural activist Kamal Lohani said, “We want this type of program to be arranged more. Our ministry will support this type of initiative for reducing destabilising situations. We work for being a peaceful and secular country.”
Kamal Lohani said, “I give thanks to the Bhabna for this arrangement. Shakuntala is one of the oldest dramas, which narrated love and malevolence. At the moment, It's very relevant.”
The script was crafted by Alomoy Biswas, and Jayanto Chattopadhyay is the key narrator of the drama. The music is directed and composed by Sumon Sarkar from Kolkata. Celebrated artists Khairul Anam Shakil and Priyanka Gope sang for the lead roles, while a group of young and talented singers from Bangladesh voiced the chorus under the lead duos' guidance. The classical portions were sung by two Indian singers, Sumon Sarkar and Sirsho Roy. Notable artists Dalia Ahmed, Shimul Mustapha, Tamanna Tithi, Debashish Chakrabortty and Jayonta Das have narrated the dialogues for the drama. The set and props were designed by Hadi Mirza and light design was prepared by Reaz Mahmud.