City Desk :
On Saturday (November 2), Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) had to call off Desh Natok’s stage play ‘Nityapuran’ due to a group protesting outside the National Theatre Hall. BSA Director General Dr Syed Jamil Ahmed on Sunday revealed the reasons behind the action.
Speaking at a virtual press conference, Dr Jamil said he had to stop the play considering the audience’s safety at the theatre.
BSA is currently hosting its flagship “Jatra Festival” at the Suhrawardy Udyan open stage (Mukto Moncho), and BSA DG Dr Jamil was there on Saturday night.
He immediately reached the National Theatre Hall gate after hearing about an angry mob protesting against Desh Natok troupe’s Secretary Ehsanul Aziz Babu for a Facebook post “insulting” the Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus and the interim government.
Due to abruptly stopping the play, Dr Jamil and the academy faced some criticism on social media from netizens and theatre artists-activists. Addressing the incident, Dr Jamil said, “We had to take that action which seemed necessary at that point, considering everyone’s safety.”
“Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy was attacked in 22 places across the country in recent times, and there were possibilities that the excited mob could create even more chaos and attack the audience during the play. To ensure the safety of everyone, I had to take the stage and apologize to the audience for calling off the show,” Dr Jamil explained.
At the press conference, Dr Jamil said, “The Facebook post which the protestors were opposing was really distasteful. I scolded and suggested Babu not to write such disgusting statements on Facebook and come up with theatrical creations to oppose the administration.
Before that, I tried to pacify the angry mob informing them that several members of the theatre troupe Desh Natok participated and were injured in the July revolution, but they were reluctant to understand.”
Regarding the criticism sparked due to the halting of the play, the BSA DG said, “Even though I tried to calm the mob, they were trying to take over the stage, climbing over the wall and even breaking the gate, so we decided to stop the play after talking to the members of Desh Natok. I have tried a lot to ensure that the show must go on. I admit—I have lost a battle but will win the war, if you all stand by our side.”
n answer to a journalist’s query about why the army did not intervene to manage the turmoil, Dr Jamil said, “The law enforcement forces were there and were aware of the situation, but we did not want to put them face to face with the mob. However, they ensured the safe exit of the audience and theatre personnel.”
Following the ouster of the previous regime by the student-led mass uprising, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA), which itself also went through a massive transformation, held a coordination meeting with army officials on October 7 which led to the decision to open the National Theatre Hall’s maintheatre and rooms 1 and 2 for performances and rehearsals. BSA resumed the regular shows of stage plays with Bangladesh Theatre’s production “Sea Morog”, on October 11.