“Ismat Apa Ke Naam” in Dhaka today

Indian film and stage legend Naseeruddin Shah is bringing his theatrical repute to the Dhaka stage for the first time, with “Ismat Apa Ke Naam” today. Blues Communications is organising the staging of the Shah-directed play and his theatre troupe Motley at the International Convention City Bashundhara (ICCB). Naseeruddin Shah also acts in the production, along with daughter Heeba Shah and wife Ratna Pathak Shah.

The play is a celebration of Ismat Chughtai (1915-1991), an iconic writer and poet from India, considered the grand dame of Urdu fiction. Her outspoken, controversial writing style has made her a seminal figure of the genre. The three short stories by Chughtai narrated in the play – “Chui Mui”, “Gharwali” and “Mughal Bacha”, all essentially deal with women and their survival in a male-dominated society.

City Bank is the title sponsor of the event.