Theatre troupe Abhaman premiered its second production titled ‘Chandidas’ at the Experimental Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy on Wednesday.
The play, written by Shanta Maria and directed by Shaheen Rizvi, depicts the life and philosophy of the great medieval Bengali poet Baru Chandidas.
Chandidas, who was a priest and Brahmin, falls in love with a widow named Rami, who belongs to a lower caste and makes a living as a washerwoman.
The temple authorities excommunicate Chandidas after becoming aware of the matter. Later, he starts writing glorifying humanity.
The production also highlights the timeless connection between the middle ages and the modern age.
Banani Saha, Asif Antu, Abid, Uzzal Mandal, Israt Jhimi and Shakil Hossain, among others, played different characters in the play.
The stage and lights were designed by Fazle Rabbee Sukarno while the music was designed by Akash.
Shaheen Rizvi, also the leader of the troupe, said that although Bengali art and literature are rich, they are not reflected in the values and life of the country’s people.
‘We staged the play to inspire people to value humanity and denounce extremism,’ Shaheen Rizvi said, adding that Abhaman believes that art can instil social change.
The troupe premiered the play on the second day of a three-day theatre festival, titled ‘Abhaman-Swapnadal Theatre Festival 2025’, which began at the venue on Tuesday.
Abhaman staged their first theatre production titled ‘Sundori’, written and directed by Shaheen Rizvi, on the first day of the festival.
The festival is scheduled to end today with Swapnadal staging its popular theatre production Rabindranath Tagore’s poetic drama Chitrangada, directed by Zahid Repon, at the same venue.