''Che'r Cycle'' (2009) is a Bangladeshi
Bengali
Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to:
*something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia
* Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region
* Bengali language, the language they speak
** Bengali alphabet, the ...
-language stage drama written by
Mamunur Rashid
Mamunur Rashid (born 29 February 1948) is a Bangladeshi actor, director and scriptwriter. He was awarded Ekushey Padak in 2012 and Bangla Academy Literary Award in 1982 by the Government of Bangladesh.
Early life and education
Rashid was born o ...
, who himself played the main character, directed by Faiz Zahir staged by ''Bangla Theatre'' from
Dhaka
Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city ...
as a tribute to
.
Plot
The drama begins with a scene where two men, Ranjan and Shubhro, and a woman named Soheli, were sitting in a beach and having a conversation. Each one of three characters interprets the world in his or her own way. Suddenly with a trance, they transform into
,
Aleida March
Aleida March Torres (born 19 October 1936) is a Cuban revolutionary who was Ernesto "Che" Guevara's second wife, and a member of Fidel Castro's Cuban army.
Life
Aleida March was an active combatant in Che Guevara's Lightning Campaign in D ...
, the wife of Guevara,
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (; ; 13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban revolutionary and politician who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and president from 1976 to 2 ...
, and
Raul Castro
Raul, Raúl and Raül are the Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish, Galician, Asturian, Basque, Aragonese, and Catalan forms of the Anglo-Germanic given name Ralph or Rudolph. They are cognates of the French Raoul.
Raul, Raúl or Raül may re ...
. The events of this play continually switch between times and places and the characters assimilate into each other.
The drama captures that time when Che Guevara is on his way to start a revolution. But soon, another character Ranjan gets assimilated with the character Che.
Che's understandings and views on life help these three to see the life from a new angle.
Cast
The cast of the drama included–
*
Mamunur Rashid
Mamunur Rashid (born 29 February 1948) is a Bangladeshi actor, director and scriptwriter. He was awarded Ekushey Padak in 2012 and Bangla Academy Literary Award in 1982 by the Government of Bangladesh.
Early life and education
Rashid was born o ...
as
* Chanchal Chowdhury
* Rubli Chowdhury as Aledia
Making
The Bengali drama is inspired by ''Che'' of Asian People's Theatre (
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...
).
Other than directing the play Faiz Zahir also designed the set, costume and light. This play was a tribute to Che Guevara. Playwright Mamunur Rashid told–
People like Che existed in every era, in every society. Born in Argentina, Che transcended the geographical border and became synonymous of protest for the oppressed throughout the world. In this 'post-nationalist' era, we need another Che to fight globalisation. Our play places Che in our time where he moves forward upholding his flag of revolution to fight fundamentalism and oppression.
Reception
The drama received positive remarks from critics. Starting from 2003 it has been performed both in Bangladesh an abroad. Bangladeshi poet Nirmalendu Goon wrote a poem Che'r Cycle" after watching this drama.
Bangladeshi newspaper
The Daily Star wrote in their review– "The extraordinary performance of eminent theatre artiste and playwright Mamunur Rashid; Chanchal Chowdhury and Rubly Chowdhury enthralled the huge audience gathered at the venue."
See also
* ''
Nemesis
In ancient Greek religion, Nemesis, also called Rhamnousia or Rhamnusia ( grc, Ῥαμνουσία, Rhamnousía, the goddess of Rhamnous), was the goddess who personifies retribution, a central concept in the Greek world view.
Etymology
The n ...
'' by
Nurul Momen
Nurul Momen (25 November 1908 – 16 February 1990) was a Bangladeshi playwright, educator, director, broadcast personality, academician, satirist, essayist, translator and poet.Bangla Natyashahitter Itihash, the most authoritative reference boo ...
References
{{Che Guevara
2009 plays
Works about Che Guevara
Cultural depictions of Che Guevara
Cultural depictions of Fidel Castro
Bengali-language plays
Theatre in Bangladesh
Bangladeshi drama
Bangladeshi plays