Theatre Art Unit premieres "Shesher Kobita"

The play gives priority to the inter-relationship of the characters rather than the time period.

Theatre Art Unit has adapted Rabindranath Tagore's much acclaimed literary work “Shesher Kobita” into a stage play. Prashanta Haldar did the adaptation, with Mohammad Bari directing the play. The play premiered at the National Theatre Hall, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, on December 24.
An oft-read tragic romantic story, “Shesher Kobita” zooms in on Amit Roy and Labonya Debi, who meet each other after a minor collision of their respective vehicles on a hilly road in Shillong. Amit and Labonya fall in love and the rest unravels slowly. There are other important characters in the story, such as Shobhonlal and Ketoki.
Bari's directorial approach was to set the play in contemporary surroundings. He asserts that he tries to experiment with the story. He gave priority to the inter-relationship of the characters rather than the time period. Describing the stage adaptation of the Tagore classic as a tough job, the director finally sees his work as a 'fusion' of the novel.
Use of western as well as contemporary experimental arrangement of Tagore numbers are examples of Bari's contemporary approach. Some of the dance elements in the play have also been borrowed from the West.
Mahbub Selim has planned and directed the music. His work is juxtaposed with western dance forms. Examples of Selim's work include a Scottish song as well as a Tagore number with contemporary musical re-arrangement.
Young performers such as Prashanta Haldar and Fauzia Karim donned the roles of the protagonists. Although the diction of important literary characters such as Amit and Labonya was of a level in conformity with the characters, the young performers did reasonably well. Among others, Saif Sumon, Anika Mahin, Jolly Ahmed and Mehmud Siddiqui played important roles.
Shaheenur Rahman did the set design. He used elements that helped create a hilly ambiance on stage. Moreover, with the help of Sudip Chakroborty's concepts on light, Rahman used the backdrop as an open sky-- where the full moon embraces the hills.
“Shesher Kobita” is a tribute by the troupe to Rabindranath Tagore on his 150th birth anniversary. This year another troupe, Prangane Mor, brought the novel on stage as well.
“Shesher Kobita” is the 16th production by Theatre Art Unit.