Vivekananda Theatre is set to premiere its new production ‘Bhasane Ujan’. The inaugural show will take place on November 21 at the Studio Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, with Md Ershad Hasan performing as the solo artist. The opening performance will be inaugurated by Ferdousi Majumdar, a pioneer of solo theatre in Bangladesh.
Adapted from Dostoevsky’s short story ‘The Gentle Spirit’, the play has been dramatised by Apurba Kumar Kundu and directed by Shubhashish Dutta Tanmoy. A press preview is scheduled for 5:30 pm today, ahead of the official opening.
The narrative follows Ashraf Boari, portrayed by Md Ershad Hasan, once the head of the theatre troupe Bhasane Ujan, who now works as a pawnbroker in a tea garden. Through this work, he meets Sabrina, a woman seeking refuge from poverty, oppression and uncertainty.
Defying social obstacles, Ashraf marries and shelters her. Yet, miscommunication, wounded pride and deepening disappointment erode their relationship, ultimately driving Sabrina to suicide.
Sitting beside his wife’s body, Ashraf grapples with a haunting question: Can a person truly remain good simply by trying to be good?
The stage, lighting, music, costumes, props and choreography have been crafted by Palash Hendry Sen, Hamidur Rahman Pappu, Enam Tara Saki, Fazle Rabbi Sukarna and Robin Basak.
Playwright Apurba Kumar Kundu notes that Bhasane Ujan brings to the stage the stark realities of psychological darkness, fragmentation and loneliness that Dostoevsky explored in his writing.
He hopes the production, with the support of its audience, will create “new waves in the world of psychology.”
