‘Molua’ Returns to Stage at Jatra Biroti This Friday

Theatrical Company will stage its production of “Molua”, based on the celebrated folk ballad from “Maimansingha Gitika”, at Jatra Biroti in Banani on August 14. The performance, the troupe’s third staging of the production, will begin at 7pm.

Written by Chandrabati, “Molua” is one of the best-known ballads of “Maimansingha Gitika”, the landmark collection of folk narratives from the greater Mymensingh region. The production explores love, dignity, social inequality and the resilience of women through the story of its titular protagonist.

Jolputul Puppets founder and puppeteer Saiful Jarnal has written and directed the production. Student tickets cost Tk 800, while tickets purchased online are Tk 1,400 and those bought at the venue cost Tk 1,500.

The production premiered on July 23 at the Studio Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy in Segunbagicha, followed by a second performance at the same venue the following day.

In this contemporary staging, the protagonist, Molua is presented not merely as a lover or wife but as a woman who holds on to her dignity, integrity and moral strength despite humiliation, adversity and abuse of power. The character of Chand Binod, meanwhile, reflects another reality: an individual who yields to social pressure and, in doing so, exposes the defeat of a compromised conscience.

The performance is built around a musical ensemble. Members of the music group Sarbanam perform alongside actors, visual artists and theatre practitioners, with members of the ensemble also taking on acting roles.

The cast includes Hasnat Ripon, Nusrat Ira, Saidur Shaheen, Shahriar Sajib, Priyam Majumder, Tahadil Ahmed, Humayra Snigdha, Gopi Debnath, Farhad Shamim, Nanjiba Shaili, P. T. Fazal, Maria Yasmin, Dhrubo, Sanjida Chowdhury Orin and Umme Prema, among others.

Saiful Jarnal said the production grew out of a concern over the gradual disappearance of traditional performance practices.

“The original and authentic forms of musical performance are disappearing today,” he said. “Cultural traditions such as pala, puthi and Gazi's songs, which were once part of everyday life in Bengal, have almost disappeared. Much of what remains has also moved away from its original form.”

According to the director, Theatrical Company is attempting to bring the essence of these folk traditions back to the contemporary stage without simply reproducing their traditional forms.

“We are trying to recreate these traditions on the modern stage while retaining the essence of their original folk forms,” he said.