9TH GANGA-JAMUNA CULTURAL FESTIVAL
Reflecting on 1971 inside Prangone Mor’s ‘Condemned Cell’
Prangone Mor, one of the most celebrated theatre troupes in Bangladesh, staged their 31st production, “Condemned Cell”, at the Ganga-Jamuna Cultural Festival in the National Theatre Hall, Bangladesh Shikpakala Academy (BSA) recently. The play featured 24 artistes, including Ananta Hira, Nuna Afroz, Ramiz Raju, Awal Reza, Shuvo, Shishir, and Mofazzal, among others.
As lights turned off, a soulful melody of the mouth organ took the audience to a serene and delightful mood until it was abruptly interrupted by a loud bold voice saying, "Thamo mia… thamo". Set in a jail, the play begins with a bunch of freedom fighters in prison, showcasing their ideologies, thoughts, and how they embrace their identities.
Taking the audience back into 1971, the play presents history, embedding modern touches and merging old political occurrences with present incidents, while honouring our heritage.
"This is my first directorial venture theatre," says Awal Reza, "I did not want to improvise to enrich the production, as the play was very well written."
The play was staged internationally three times to wide appreciation. "I was a mere infant when the Liberation War took place," said Awal Reza. "Through this play, I feel I can be a part of this important movement."
"When we started this production, I got threats from different militant groups. I had to hide my family to keep them safe. This theatre group has supported me on my tough days, sometimes they accompanied me to reach my home safely," he adds.
The play tells the story of freedom fighters with a blend of contemporary political issues, displayed masterfully in every scene. "The emergence of militant groups tried to change the peaceful lodgement of the common people, especially when Salahuddin Kader Chowdhury from Bangladesh Nationalist Party was hanged by the current government," shared the writer Ananta Hira. "Violence, corruption, and social problems are the central themes of this play."
More than 140 theatre groups with 3,500 artistes are participating in the Ganga-Jamuna Cultural Festival this year. The event serves as the harmonious reunion of different artistes. This year, Indian artistes could not participate due to Covid-19 restrictions.
We artistes were longing to get back to the thing we love the most – the stage – for a long time," said the Secretary of publications sub-committee, Hanif Khan. "Now, it seems like the stage has been rejuvenated."
The lighting and stage design, done by Sumon Mollick, supplemented the themes of the production while the music was masterfully handled by Ramiz Raza. The costumes of this production were prepared by Nuna Afroz and the supporting props were arranged by Badhan Sarker.
Overall, "Condemn Cell" is a theatrical presentation of several historical and political incidents of Bangladesh, which mesmerises the spectators with every turn.
The author is a freelance journalist.