Dhaka audience had the opportunity to enjoy two different plays at two prominent venues of the capital yesterday. Loko Natyadal staged its Liberation War-based play titled ‘Thikana’ at the Baily Road’s Mahila Samiti (MS), while ‘Draupadi Parampara’ by Theatre (Arambag) was staged at the National Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) in Segun Bagicha.
Written by proverbial playwright-actor-director Utpal Dutt, ‘Thikana’ was staged for the first time in Kolkata on August 2 in 1971 during the Liberation War of Bangladesh. The play, written at the time of the country’s Freedom Fight, is considered to be a valuable narrative of sacrifice of the Bangalees. An immensely significant play linked to the history of Bangladesh’s independence, ‘Thikana’ is directed by senior member of Loko Natyadal Dr Pranabananda Chakraborty, who earned a PhD in theatre studies from Pune University of India.
The cast of the play includes Samsad Begum, Minhazul Huda Deep, Abdullah Al Harun, Hafizur Rahman, Sadeq Islam, Aindrila Aditi Das, Mozaqqir Alam Rafan, Sohel Masud, Tanjina Rahman and Jasimuddin Khan, among others.
On the other hand, written and directed by Prabir Dutta, ‘Draupadi Parampara’ depicts Draupadi’s sufferings in patriarchal society by showing her humiliation at the hands of the Kauravas after she was put on bet at a dice-game by Yudhishthira, the eldest Pandava.
In the play, Tahmina Akter, Akifa Alam and Yusha Antara play the roles of Draupadi. The other important casts include Prabir Datta, Shahriar Alam, Shangkar Sarkar, Jahangir Kabir and Lelin Firozi.
