50 years of Aranyak Natyadal

Ekushey Padak-winning actor, Mamunur Rashid founded the Aranyak Natyadal in 1972, along with a group of young people who had returned from the war. Today marks the 50th anniversary of the group. To celebrate the occasion, an eight-day festival has been organised, which will end on February 3.

A pioneer of Bangladeshi theatre, Mamunur Rashid sat down with The Daily Star at his Dhanmondi residence, to talk about the special occasion, his career, and much more.

Being here on the 50th year of Aranyak Natyadal, who do you remember the most?

Everybody. I am one of the founding members of Aranyak Natyadal. Most of those who were with me at the start, are no longer here. There is no Aly Zaker. There is no Subhash Dutta. Dr Enamul Haque is also no longer with us.

Mujib bin Haque is no longer in the country. Nazmul Hossain works in a completely different field. After them, came the new additions to the team. Some remained, some left. Many have been with our troupe since the 1980's.

Mannan Hira, for example, joined Aranyak Natyadal in the 1980's. He passed away after spending many years with the group. Year after year, the troupe has continued to work. The work is real. After 50 years, I can fondly recall many words, many events and many memories.

Could you tell us about this festival?

The first ever play I worked in was called "Kobor". This play will be staged in this year's festival. Every day, there will be plays staged. Our production "Rajnetra," which has been written and directed by Haroon Rashid, will also be staged.

'Ora Kadam Ali' will be returning to the stage after almost 25 years.

I wrote "Ora Kadam Ali" at the age of 26. At the time, it was one of the most staged plays. There isn't a place in Bangladesh where it wasn't staged. I even performed this play in places where there were no stages. In the 1970's, "Ora Kadam Ali" really spread amongst the masses and I am glad to see it returning after so long.

Many artistes including the likes of Azizul Hakim, Fazlur Rahman Babu, Chanchal Chowdhury have come into the limelight after having been in your theatre troupe. How does this make you feel?

This kind of thing brings me a lot of joy. I really enjoy seeing them succeed. Whenever anyone praises them, I feel that I am being praised as well. I know many people usually become jealous, however I don't understand that logic at all.

Whenever Chanchal or Babu are praised, I remember how they have grown up within our theatre troupe. I almost feel like a primary school teacher, who held their hands during their initial journey. This feeling is wonderful.

When I visit Kolkata, people older than me bow down and praise Chanchal's performances. At the same time, when Chanchal visits Kolkata, he always speaks about me during interviews.

What drama will the festival close with?

The festival will end with a performance of "Sangkranti." It is a drama that evokes an immense response from the audience, which makes it one of my favorite plays.

Are you ever left feeling that you want more, or that there is something you haven't achieved yet?

Life is not perfect and there is no end to human desire. We will always have the desire to do more, reach more people, spread our art to as many people as possible. This desire, as a human, will never cease to exist.