Mamunur Rashid’s play ‘Company’ to stage today
Celebrated thespian, theatre director, and playwright, Mamunur Rashid is going to stage a new theatrical production today at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA), under his direction, titled "Company".
Although theatre is considered one of the main entertainment media, staging a play on the occasion of Eid is rare in the country.
Mamunur Rashid himself is part of the cast of this theatrical play. The artiste stated that staging a play on Eid is a record-making event in the country.
"It is also a record in the history of Bangla theatre, because, only theatre legend Jamil Ahmed had done it till now. After many years, I am going to arrange it this evening," said the acclaimed theatre personality.
"The play will be staged for four consecutive days starting from today. Most of the tickets for the first day have already been sold out. I hope we will see several houseful shows," he added.
Mamunur Rashid will portray an important character in the play, alongside writing and directing it. Regarding this, he shared, "I'll be portraying the character of a wealthy capitalist on stage. It's in the act of performing where I discover tranquillity and contentment, which is why I persist in it."
Addressing the audience, he emphasised that the audience is the strength of theatre. "Watch stage plays, love Bangladeshi theatre," he urged.
It is noteworthy that Mamunur Rashid directed his first stage play in 1972, titled "Kabar", by Shaheed Munier Chowdhury, which marked his inaugural production.
Over a span of over 50 years, the artiste has been involved with theatre, writing numerous plays and directing them throughout his extensive career, including "Rarang", "Sankranti", "Ora Kadam Ali", "Jay Jayanti" and many more. The latest addition to his repertoire is the play "Company", which will be staged today.
"We will showcase the spread of British imperialism and their arrival in the Indian subcontinent through this dramatic play. The conflict between Lord Clive and Nawab Siraj-ud-Daulah and its consequences led to the loss of Bengal's independence. I have depicted the conspiracies and upheavals of that time and attempted to capture the socio-political situation and the psychological landscape of the North Indian colonial rule in this drama," said the veteran thespian.
Finally, he expressed his joy for the day, stating, "Today is a day of great joy for me. A new play will be staged on Eid. Theatre is for the audience, and their love makes the effort worthwhile."
The play is centred around a timeline of 1744-1757 when British imperialism began to spread around the globe, especially the Indian subcontinent, to rule them consciously.
This is the 65th production of Aranyak Natyadal. The play will premiere at 7pm today at BSA's National Theatre Hall and run for four more days at the same time and venue.