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Still some way to go

Liberation War in Theatre

Saurav Dey
Theatre, often considered as the reflection of society, portrays life and other issues related to our surroundings. The present theatre scenario in Bangladesh is a result of the neotheatre movement that began following the liberation war in 1971. Liberation war and the emergence of Bangladesh as an independent nation - the most significant chapter in the history of the country - found its place in the works of art and literature in different forms and shapes. Beginning from the early years of post-liberation era till date, a number of theatrical productions have been based on the theme of liberation war. There is hardly any theatre troupe in Bangladesh which does not have at least one play on the theme. But do we boast a good number of notable productions which surpasses time? In recent talks with Star Arts and Entertainment, two prominent theatre personalities - Nasiruddin Yousuff and Mamunur Rashid -- discussed the depiction of liberation war in theatrical productions.
Nasiruddin Yousuff
"The war of liberation has been sketched on the stage many times in many ways since the present theatre scenario is the result of our independence. Even though there is good number of plays based directly or indirectly on the theme, only a few of these are noteworthy. Apart from Dhaka, many plays were staged and brought to theatres in different corners of the country, but to our disappointment, only a handful will stand the test of time.
"The deficiency resulted from a number of issues, and what I think is that the Liberation war to us is more of a political and social issue rather than emotional. We talk about liberation in discussions, in political fields, but in our personal lives we do not nurture the spirit. The seed that was sown 42 years ago failed to foster, as a result the output is disappointing. We have moved further from the essence of liberation war that talks about the freedom of humanity. The bloody struggle for freedom is now confined to political speeches, and the reflection is less on art and literature. Yet, there are hopes alive; the new generation has come forth to bear the torch and they have taken a stand. If they can understand the depth and essence of liberation and forge ahead with the spirit, the reflection will be conspicuous on art and literature, and obviously on the stage."
Mamunur Rashid
"There are many theatrical productions on liberation war but the number of meaningful works is small. The works that derived from immediate experience of the event failed to go deeper inside the audience. Many productions, including plays of Syed
Shamsul Haq directly focus on liberation war and related issues. Yet the number is not satisfactory and we have to wait for insightful productions to come. There are works that deal with the issues of partition, and depict the psychological condition of people during that era, but not enough on our own struggle for freedom. We have to wait for the second or event third generation to fulfill our dreams of making plays depicting the liberation war in a distinctive way. Since it is a performing art, breaking stereotypes will take time."
"There are many shortcomings in this sector: monetary endorsement in theater is poor, theatre halls are insufficient in number; the small number of the activists, scripts and playwrights are also hindering rapid progress of theatre. However, we have been successful in spreading the theme of liberation war in different corners of the country' through theatre. We hope one day we'll have movies and theatrical productions which will outperform the present works. One day theatre will break the stereotypes and bring much more innovative productions to the audience.