Theatre Art Unit honoured playwright, director and founder of Batighar Theatre Sanjoy Sarker Muktonil received the SM Solaiman Pronodona 2025 on Monday.
The event was held at the Studio Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.
Muktonil became involved in cultural activities from a young age. He founded Batighar Theatre in 2011.
He wrote and adapted plays for stage, street and television productions, and in his troupe he directed many productions, including Radcliffe Line, Himur Kolpito Diary, Monkey Trial, Bhogoban Paliye Gechhe and Parabola.
Theatre Art Unit introduced the award in 2005 in memory of the troupe鈥檚 founder late Ekushey Padak-winning theatre activist and playwright Sheikh Mohammad Solaiman.
The event observed the 72nd birth and 24th death anniversary of SM Solaiman, who was born on September 29, 1953, and passed away on September 22, 2001.
Theatre directors and actors Naila Azad Nupur, Azad Abul Kalam, Bakar Bakul and Shamima Shawkat Lovely spoke at the event chaired by Selim Mahbub Theatre Art Unit acting president Selim Mahbub.
Muktonil said that the culture sector needs people who will analyse the post-mass uprising society as SM Solaiman did in his time.
Naila Azad Nupur said that SM Solaiman created a free space for young theatre activists as well as female theatre practitioners.
Azad Abul Kalam said that SM Solaiman was an inspiration for young theatre activists during the anti-autocracy movement and later.
鈥楾he SM Solaiman, Syed Zamil Ahmed and Naila Azad Nupur worked as a team and made some timeless theatre productions which inspired young theatre activists and also the audience,鈥� said Azad Abul Kalam.
Bakar Bakul said that SM Solaiman created a new dimension in theatre practice in Bangladesh blending contemporary music, political movements and issues with classical and folk literature.
Shamima Shawkat Lovely said that the youth should follow in the footsteps of SM Solaiman and create new art forms and art movements.
The event also featured a discussion titled 鈥楶aribartner Swapne Mancha Karmir Daay o Bastabata Ebong Tike Thakar Upay.鈥�
The members of the theatre troupe Theatre Art Unit performed songs written and tuned by SM Solaiman at the event.
SM Solaiman was also the founder of the theatre troupes, namely Padatik, Dhaka Padatik and others.
He was elected general secretary of the Bangladesh Group Theatre Federation twice.
He wrote, translated and adapted more than 30 plays, including Court Martial, Amina Sundori, Khyapa Paglar Pyanchal, Ingit, Sunai Koinyar Pala and others. He was posthumously awarded the Ekushey Padak in 2014.