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SELIM AL DEEN FEST 2012

Engaging, uplifting performance by Gautam Haidar

Jamil Mahmud
T\vo Indian troupes |from Kolkata] have been invited to perform at the Selim Al Deen Festival 2012. One of them, Naye Natua staged its production -two improvised solo performances — at the National Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, on August 29. Officially it was a performance by the troupe but if someone said that the night belonged to Gautam Haidar, a ubiquitous fun-loving performer, it won't be an exaggeration.
With his superb ability of engaging and communicating with the audience, Haidar stole the show.
The first act was an hour-long musical, directed and performed by Haidar. Four troupe members accompanied him with the instruments that ranged from santoor to Egyptian mandolin. Haidar roamed around the stage, tried to act like a comedian and sang compositions based on poems of Rabindranath Tagore, Shakti Chattopadhyay, Buddhadev Basu, Bertolt Brecht and Satyajit Ray. The highlight of his rendition was satire; at times
audience when they saw his appearance from a particular side. This simultaneous presence of a single person made the performance multidimensional.
he gestured like a funky performer and at others, a clown.
While the first act was a musical, the second was more of a theatrical presentation. Titled “Baroda Baroda", the piece was directed and performed by Haidar as well. It was a humorous story written by Munshi Premchand that articulates storytelling by a young man who shares his adolescent memories of his elder brother. Those who have read Narayan Gangopadhyay's “Teni Da" would easily get this brand of humour.
The production featured Haidar, seated on a chair in the
middle of the stage, and telling stories. On the left, a woman with a camera documented his gestures that were projected on the backdrop — from beginning till end. Despite remaining very minimalist in using props, this improvised and innovative idea was brilliant and generated rave applause from the audience.
As a storyteller, Haidar was simple and natural. Wearing a Rajasthani costume, he made the audience laugh frequently.
Sometimes he faced the camera when the audience saw his extreme close-up or midshot appearance on the screen, while sometimes he faced the
Exhibition featuring terracotta, artefacts
As part of the festival, an exhibition featuring terracotta and artefacts found in the archaeological sites — Wari and Bateswar — is on at the lobby of the National Theatre Hall. The exhibition ends today.
Some hundreds of artefacts including semi-precious beads, ornaments, amulets, coins, metal anklet, painted ware, and figures of creatures are on display. Photographs depicting the excavation's recent updates are also on display.
The organisers included the exhibition with the festival to create a bond between Selim Al Deen's thoughts regarding our cultural history.
Selim Al Deen Foundation and Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy has organised the weeklong festival that ends today with the staging of the play “Bisharjan” by Indian troupe Tritio Shutra.