Now Reading: Bengali play holds mirror to autocracy and shrinking freedom
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Bengali play holds mirror to autocracy and shrinking freedom
The final show of veteran Bengali playwright Chandan Sen's play Ak Nayok-er Sesh Raat was staged at Kolkata's Academy of Fine Arts on Thursday. The play, set in an imaginary Blue Land,…
The Story in Brief
The final show of veteran Bengali playwright Chandan Sen's play Ak Nayok-er Sesh Raat was staged at Kolkata's Academy of Fine Arts on Thursday. The play, set in an imaginary Blue Land, depicts a military dictator's last night before he is killed, only to be replaced by a similarly fascist democratically elected government.
Sen, who was jailed in his youth for speaking up, told The Hindu the play mirrors global autocracy, including crackdowns on education and history rewriting. Theatre groups face a budget crunch: spending Rs 60,000 per play but earning only Rs 20,000, forcing self-censorship and gimmicks to attract audiences.
The Indian Opinion
Some claim Indian theatre is irrelevant in the age of streaming. Others see only the government's crackdown on dissent, ignoring that artists still find ways to speak. Sen's play reminds us that autocracy does not always wear a uniform; it can wear a suit. The real test is whether the next generation of theatre makers will get the support, audience, not just applause, to keep the mirror polished.
Source: thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
