Tariq Anam Khan publishes “Natok Shomogro”

Other adapted plays are “Servant of Two Masters” by Carlo Goldoni, “John Gabriel Borkman” by Henrik Ibsen and “The Matchmaker” by Thornton Wilder. He has also adapted four short or one-act Egyptian, and one Rajasthani folklore play. In an interview with The Daily Star, the artiste talks about his identity as a writer.

Is this your first book?

Tariq Anam Khan: This would be my second publication. During the late 1980s, my adaptation of Molière's “The Miser” was published by Alliance Française de Dhaka.

When did you begin writing?

Tariq Anam Khan: I first tried my hand at adapting plays during the early 1980s. I worked on Nikolai Gogol's “The Inspector General” and Molière's “The Miser”. Those two works were my stepping stones as a playwright and theatre activist. After the formation of my theatre troupe Natyakendra, we began our journey on stage with “Bichchu”, adapted from Molière's “That Scoundrel Scapin”. Then “Kanjus” was performed on stage, and to this day it remains the most performed drama onstage, with 800 shows to date. 

What challenges do you face when adapting a Western literary work?

Tariq Anam Khan: Since I am a theatre activist, whenever I read a play I have to see whether it is applicable on stage. Once that is out of the way, I just work on adapting the translated work.

Is there a play you have always felt the need to write, but did not get the chance to?

Tariq Anam Khan: I always had the desire to adapt Shakespeare's works, and present them in a unique way. To translate from Shakespearean English is challenging, but to create contemporary versions leaves endless room for creative opportunities to experiment with.

Who are your favourite playwrights?

Tariq Anam Khan: My core theatre training was from the National School of Drama in Delhi, and the institute followed mostly Western methods of acting, or methods of production. My fondness for Western plays began thence, with Shakespeare being my favourite among the classics, and Arthur Miller, Eugene O'Neill, Tennessee Williams, Thornton Wilder my choices among modern American playwrights. There are a few Indian playwrights I admire, and among the Russians, it's Chekov. There's Ibsen as we follow the literary trail to Norway, and Georg Büchner in Germany. Then there is Tagore, and among my country's playwrights there is Syed Shamsul Haq. To examine the construction of the plays, the psychology behind the plot and defining the characters is quite enjoyable for me.

Do you plan to publish more books in the future?

Tariq Anam Khan: There are no concrete plans to publish another volume, but whenever I read a moving script in my free time, the desire to produce it in our Bangladeshi context is formed. I also plan to narrate my life in the theatre, my experiences during the Liberation War and as a playwright in a book one day.