‘Kritodasher Hashi’ set to enchant audience today

An eagerly anticipated event by the Drama and Performing Arts Department of Tagore University of Creative Arts (TUCA) is gearing up to present the play "Kritodasher Hashi" today. 

The captivating production, penned by Shawkat Osman, will grace the stage at the National Drama Theater of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy on January 26 and 27. Dr Syedur Rahman Lipon, the head of the Drama and Performing Arts Department, is in charge of the directorial venture.

"Kritodasher Hashi" weaves a tale around the amorous feelings between Meherjan and  Habshi slave Tatari. Their bliss seems boundless, and their laughter resonates as if capable of eclipsing all worldly joys. However, the unhappy ruler of Baghdad, Harun Al-Rashid, envies the laughter of Tatari and Meherjan, thinking that they can laugh so beautifully while he cannot. The jealousy leads Harun to separate them by offering Tatari money and freedom from servitude in exchange for the infectious laughter. However, separation from Meherjan is all it takes for Tatari to never laugh again.

Dr Syedur Rahman Lipon elucidates that although the era of slavery has ended, the play underscores the transformation of various forms of subjugation in the socio-economic landscape of the present liberal age. It portrays the struggle for freedom from the shackles of servitude and the constraint of independence in the minds of those under unchecked power.

The presentation is facilitated by Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, with faculty members from TUCA's Drama and Performing Arts Department contributing to the production. Mahsina Akhter handles set and costume design, Dheeman Chandra Barman is in charge of lighting and acting theory, Abdul Rajjak serves as the assistant director, and S M Hasan Ishitiak takes charge of dance direction.

The stellar cast includes Jewel Choudhury as Harun Al-Rashid, Md Sajib Hossen as slave Tatari, and Maisha Masfica Tanisha as Meherjan amongst others.