Averee Charuey played seven roles with ease in the complex production. Photo Courtesy: Purnendu Bhattacharya

After running to a full house in Dhaka, the Shadhona production "Sitar Agni-Parikkha" came to Delhi recently. The monodrama (based on the epic "Ramayan" by Valmiki) was a fine example of Indo-Bangladesh collaboration in the arts -- while the actor (Averee Charuey who played seven roles with ease in the complex production) and the chorus were Indian, the music director (Zahedul Kabir Liton) and playwright (Simon Zakaria) were Bangladeshi.

"Sitar Agni-Parikkha" was followed by Liton's rendering of "Bangla Matir Gaan". Among others, there was Lalon's "Itorpona karjo amar", Radharaman's "Binodini go tor Brindaban" and Shah Abdul Karim's "Shokhi kunjo shajao".

Talking to Liton and Zakaria was an eye opener. "Sitar Agni-Parikkha", they said, was based on the musical narrative theatre forms of 'Kushan Gaan' (from northern Bangladesh and Cooch Behar in India), 'Ram Kirtan' (Kushtia), 'Ram Mongol' (Kishoreganj) and 'Royani Gaan' (Barisal). Says Liton, “The songs are traditional in form and have been adapted to the needs of the play.”

Zakaria has spent 20 years tirelessly researching folk music, dance and theatre while traversing Bangladeshi villages -- and it shows in the superb monodrama. “Scripting the play for an Indian audience has been a major challenge,” says the playwright, who adds that it was also tough to compress a show that usually runs for a stretch of 10 days into a one-hour performance. Moreover, he says, he is continually rewriting "Sitar Agni-Parikkha" as it goes from Dhaka, to Delhi and later Kolkata.

For Averee too, as Ram and Sita are worshipped in India, especially in the North, it made her all the more determined to fit into her complex seven-role character with ease. She is full of praise for Shahdona, the organisation that gave her the confidence to act solo.

What's the USP of the production? The play is a fusion of proscenium theatre with indigenous performing styles of Bengal, points out Lubna Mariam, general secretary of Shahdhona.

Moreover, says Shantanu Ghosh, a chorus member, the play is a radical departure from others of its ilk: “Generally in theatre, the background music is recorded, but here the chorus gives a live performance and you have a lead singer -- in this case Liton.”

It hasn't been easy to stage the play in India. Says Lubna, “There is always a funds crunch, so we decided that if Averee has to perform in India, she should have an Indian chorus.”

Both Lubna and Simon aspire to see "Sitar Agni-Parikkha" translated into other languages. Simon is keen on Hindi and English. Lubna, in turn says she would like the play to be translated and performed in Ahomiya, Oriya and all the regional languages of South Asia.

Lubna, in fact, is a firm believer of regional cooperation among the South Asian countries. “If we can have the European Union, why not a South Asian Union?” she questions. She has a valid point.