The lure of fables

Actors of Boishakhi Natya Goshthi in the play.Photo: STAR

Boishakhi Natya Goshthi staged the play "Kamol Kumar" at Kobi Jasim Uddin Hall in the town recently.
The play is an adaptation by Ali Munshi of "Dalim Kumar" written by Jasim Uddin. Mohammad Ali Rumi and Al-Hamim jointly directed the play.
The story follows a king who had two queens but no child. The elder queen longs for a son. By virtue of a magical kamol or lotus, the queen gives birth to a beautiful son. The young prince is named 'Kamol Kumar' of course. The whole kingdom welcomes the prince with open arms except for his stepmother. The stepmother relentlessly tries to kill Kamol Kumar but fails.
Unbeknown to all, Kamol Kumar's life is guarded inside the belly of a giant fish. A gold chain inside the fish is apparently the secret to the prince's life-force. The evil stepmother somehow figures this secret out and manages to get a hold of the enchanted chain. Inevitably Kamol Kumar dies.
However, to everyone's relief, the prince is resurrected by a princess from a neighbouring land, Meghboti. The princess, with the help of Kamol Kumar's friends, retrieves the magical gold chain from the stepmother and puts in around the prince's neck. All ends well.
The cast included Al-Hamim, Sadhan Pal, Sams-un-Nahar, Ripa Rani Poddar, Tonmoy Sarkar, Nazrul Islam and others. The play drew a sizeable audience.