Entertainment Desk :
Noted theatre and cultural personality Mamunur Rashid’s birthday comes every four years considering he was born on a Leap Day (February 29), 75 years ago. Hence, fans eagerly await the birthday of this renowned playwright, actor and director.
The much-anticipated birthday celebration has been organised to colour the occasion with festivities and joy.
To mark Mamunur Rashid’s birthday, a special three-day celebration has been arranged by his theatre group Aranyak.
The celebration will feature the staging of plays written and directed by Mamunur Rashid himself, designed with performances and activities such as music, dance, seminars, exhibitions, book launches, tributes, and theatre gatherings.
The event will run from February 29 to March 2 at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA), Channel i premises, and Mohila Samity, said a press release.
Today morning (February 29), the birthday celebration will commence at the office of Channel i. On the same day, a book unveiling ceremony will take place featuring the artiste.
Various individuals related to stage, television and film have contributed to this book. In the afternoon, the first day’s events will conclude at the National Theatre Hall of the BSA with various presentations.
On the second day, at 10:00am, a special seminar will be held in the seminar room of the BSA. During this seminar, a documentary created by the Academy, and an initiative on him will be showcased. In the afternoon, at the Nilima Ibrahim Auditorium organised by the Mohila Samity, two performances of Mamunur Rashid’s directed and written play ‘Rarang’ will be staged.
The performances will feature senior actors from Aranyak Theatre Group, including Chanchal Chowdhury, and A K M Hassan, among others.
On the third day, March 2, at 10:00am, another seminar will be organised by the Actors Equity.
Alongside book readings, a documentary crafted by Sujat Shimul will be presented, featuring Mamunur Rashid. In the evening, the three-day celebration will conclude with a staging of the play ‘Kohe Facebook’, directed and written by Mamunur Rashid, at Mohila Samity.
Mamunur Rashid was born in 1948 in Kalihati, Tangail. He became involved with the theatre stage during student life. During the Liberation War of Bangladesh, he joined the Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra and following the country’s independence, he returned to Bangladesh and founded the Aranyak Theatre Group.
Mamunur Rashid played a significant role in the post-independence stage movement in Bangladesh. Some of his notable stage dramas include ‘Ora Kodom Ali’, ‘Gandharva Nagari’, ‘Che’r Cycle’, ‘Sankranti’, ‘Rarang’, ‘Target Platoon’, ‘Iblish’ and more.
He has also written numerous dramas for television. He continues to act regularly in stage, TV and film productions.
