“Amina Shundori”: The age-old story of a woman wronged

A scene from the play

As done in the indigenous performing art form pala, a gayen (lead singer) and his choir start the play Amina Shundori, with bandona (devotional intro). Subsequently the choir begins narrating the story of Amina, a woman who has been wronged. Amina's tragedy is not an alien case; her story represents the ongoing maltreatment women receive everywhere -- disregard of their unconditional love by their hypocrite husbands and continual deception.
Adapted by S.M. Solaiman from the 300-year-old folklore Nasor Malum O Bhelua Shundori (collected by Ashutosh Chowdhury), Amina Shudori was staged by three troupes. Theatre Art Unit premiered Amina Shudori, directed by Rokeya Rafiq Baby, on December 10 at the National Theatre Stage. Earlier, the play was staged by two directors for different troupes. S.M. Solaiman had directed the play at one point as well.
The story of Amina Shundori is quite simple: Soon after marrying Amina, her husband goes to Burma (Myanmar) and marries another woman named Akin. Amina's struggle as an abandoned wife begins; yet she patiently awaits the return of her husband. She has to confront the lechers, who want to marry her.
Rokeya Rafiq Baby's treatment of the play differs from the earlier productions. The directorial composition is experimental -- the director has blended the music-dance-acting based indigenous theatre form with the western Stanslavoskian methodology where the actors' movements on the stage are geometrical. And the geometrically shaped symbolic set by Shahinur Rahman enriched the aesthetic aspect of the play, set against the backdrop of a coastal area.
USP of Baby's directorial compositions are smooth transition of scenes and portrayal of one character by several actors: Three artistes play Amina in the production.
Like the other folklore-based theatre productions, music has been used as the dominant element in the play. Music composer Selim Mahbub's fusion of popular folk songs such as Amar golar haar and kando kene mon with classical tunes deserves praise. The experiment with rhythm and tempo as per demand of the sequences works.
Light designer Faiz Zahir's use of colour effects on the cyclorama helped create the apt ambiance.
The spirited performance by the actors of Theatre Art Unit turned this story as old as time into a remarkable experience. Farida Lima's portrayal of Amina deserves plaudits, particularly in the scene where her husband Nasor finds her captive at a sailor's home. Her expressions of anger and grief upon hearing Nasor question her chastity seemed to strike a chord with the audience.
Selim Mahbub as gayen delivered a commendable performance. Shimul Khan's portrayals of Amina and gayen are bold. Chandan Reza as the elderly Munaf Kazi, Ilma Hossain as Akin and Ejaz as Darmis performed boldly on the stage.