“Krishnakanter Will”: Prachyanat brings a Bankim classic to stage

(Front row): Theatre personalities Mannan Heera, Nripen Saha (from Kolkata) and actress Naila Azad Nupur with students at the certificate giving ceremony. Photo: Mumit M.

An adaptation of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay's acclaimed novel "Krishnakanter Will" was staged at the Studio Theatre Hall, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy on January 13. Students of the 17th batch of Prachyanat School of Acting and Design staged the play as part of the completion of their six-month-long certificate course on acting. Adapted by the late Abdullah Al Mamun, the play was directed by Heera Chowdhury.
Prior to the staging, a certificate giving ceremony was held at the venue. Theatre personalities Mannan Heera and Nripen Saha (from Kolkata) and actress Naila Azad Nupur were the guests at the programme. Among others, Shahidul Mamun, director of Academics, Prachyanat, spoke at the programme. Later, Mannan Heera handed over certificates to the participating students.
The play "Krishnakanter Will" is a triangular love story, involving Gobindalal, his wife Bhramar and a widow, Rohini. The wedge between the husband and wife is driven by a will made by Gobindalal's uncle Krishnakanta Roy.
The play also follows the conflict between a father and his son, as Zamindar Krishnakanta Roy decides to give the greater percentage of his property to his nephew Gobindalal, rather than his son Haralal. Haralal conspires against his father, which turns the play towards a tragic end.
Nikul Kumar Mandal performed as Krishnakanta Roy, while Rezaul Karim Reza and Nayeema Khanam played Haralal and Rohini respectively. Shaila Zaman and Meherunnesa Moin also enacted the role of Rohini in some dream sequences. The cast also included Anwar Hossain, Selim Sheikh, Dolon Shil, Asif Bhuiyan, Rumi Rahman and Shamim Iqbal, among others.
Sudip Biswas was the set designer. Shariful Islam did the music. Nayeema Khanam, Dolon Sheel and Shakilur Rahman jointly designed the lighting.