A tale of forbidden love, betrayal and power will return to the stage this week as theatre troupe BotTala revives its acclaimed production ‘Shokhi Rongomala’.
The troupe’s 17th production will be staged at 7:30pm on 7 and 8 October at the Experimental Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy. Directed by Mohammad Ali Haider, the play first premiered at the ‘Ali Zaker Notuner Utshob’ in 2023.
The production draws from the centuries-old Chowdhury conflict of Noakhali and Shaheen Akhtar’s novel ‘Shokhi Rongomala’. Samina Luthfa Nitra and Soumya Sarkar adapted the novel for the stage.
The story follows zamindar Rajchandra Chowdhury, who falls for Rongomala, a woman from a lower caste, amid family rivalries and political intrigue.
Sharmimala plays Phuleshwari Rai, Shahinur Akter Preity portrays Rongomala and Mahbub Masum plays Rajchandra. The cast also includes Kazi Roksana Ruma, Oleander Rima, Sanjida Yasmin, Toufiq Hasan Bhuiyan and Ashraful Islam Ashru.
Director Haider said the production explores love between people and nature while examining politics beyond gender and power.
