Love, war , sexual exploitation and antagonism. Four words that could be used to portray the theme of the play “Suchona” staged at the Natmandol, University of Dhaka on May 16. The play is adapted from the novella “Sheshpatro” written by veteran actor and theatre persona Abul Hayat while theatre activist Rahmat Ali directed the play on stage. Stage One Dhaka, a group dedicated to staging new theatre shows in town, designed the production.
Four prominent female actors of the small screen Mita Chowdhury, Wahida Mallik Jolly, Chitralekha Guha and Najnin Hasan Chumki formed the cast of the play.
The play is about four courageous women who face various difficulties in their personal life and overcome hurdles through sheer force of personality and determination. The narrative of these four women is related to the Libration War of Bangladesh.
Four childhood friends meet at Shelly’s place, in a remotely located resort. Shelly invites Rasheda, Sobita and Tani. Rasheda is famous writer, Sobita is famed singer and Tani works as development worker. Each woman starts to reveal something of her story at this retreat.
Although on the surface, everyone seems happy, each has a skeleton in her closet. Shelly was a freedom fighter who fell into the clutches of the “rajakars” (the collaborators) during the war. After Independence, rejected by her family she finds a place to live in a mental asylum. A freedom fighter rescues her from the asylum and marries her. But after many years Shelly comes to know that her husband is a fake freedom fighter and actually served as the local collaborators during the war. When Shelly comes to know the truth she imprisons her husband in a room and invites her childhood friends to execute him as punishment. Since her friends refuse to take this step, Shelly take the job in her own hands and also poisons herself after killing her husband.
Rahmat Ali said: “With the consent of the writer, a few dialogues and name of the play has been changed. I think the play carries the contemporary context which is still necessary to be staged.”
The play was written in 2005 and aired as a television drama on a private channel. Acclaim from the viewers inspired the organisers to bring the drama on stage. As the play still carries currency, the organisers want to continue staging for the foreseeable future.
