Theatre giant Syed Jamil Ahmed directed the play “Jibon O Rajnoitik Bastobota,” staged from March 14-25. Based on distinguished magical realism writer Shahidul Zahir’s novel of the same name, the play explores the post Liberation War misery of a young man who lost his sister in the war. The drama, performed by Spordha, has garnered widespread critical acclaim and was staged 15 times, almost every day at 3:30pm and 7:30pm at the National Theatre, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.
The story revolves around a small family of three who live in Lokkhibazar in Dhaka- Abdul Majid, his sister Momena, and his mother. Momena is martyred in the Liberation War after she protests a riot that exploits religious sentiments. The person responsible for her murder, Rajakar Bodruddin, returns to their locality in 1985. Consequently, Majid goes through a whirlwind of emotions as he has to stomach this war criminal, who has now become a great political leader.
This theatre production was the most ambitious I have seen in Bangladesh. The powerful Rajakar was portrayed by an actor walking on sticks or some other platform that doubles his height. His hands were extended prosthetics, making Bodruddin seem like a menacing giant. The oversized right hand holds a piece of meat, representing the chopped human flesh he would feed his crows. The crows, on the other hand, were depicted bby actors in flowing black and silver clothing.
Each time Bodruddin appeared with his crows, an ominous score played in the background, chilling the audience. Most of the music used in this production had the feel of a Western film score to it, expect for a few local compositions that felt a tad out of place.
Different sets wheeled on and off the stage. Some of them were decorated fairly creatively. For instance, in one scene, Bodruddin’s wife sleeps in a bed that is in fact the façade of a wall with pillow and bedcover fixed vertically against it. The actor really stands under the bedspread when we watch her sleep.
The dialogue was the most unique part of the show. The narration was essentially spoken out loud by the actors throughout the show. It was hard to distinguish what was narration and what was dialogue. The cast and crew list didn’t give a playwright name, so I’m very curious to see what the script looked like.
Another notable aspect of the show was that each actor played a number of roles and a number of actors played the same role. For instance, Abdul Majid was played by Shovon Das and Soud Chowdhury. Both actors also played Pakistani soldiers and neighbours of Majid. Under these circumstances it wouldn't make sense to tag a cast name to a particular character, so I won't even try!
The play was very innovative and bold, walking the audience through a treasured novel. With ticket prices ranging from Taka 100-1000, it also apparently did good business, as the halls were crowded even for the afternoon shows. It will also inspire thespians to practice their craft and be thoroughly original.
