Friday, 29 September, 2023
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‘Crutcher Colonel’ at Mahila Samity today

BotTala brings the play on stage after a three-year hiatus

Theatre troupe BotTala will stage its much-acclaimed production Crutcher Colonel at Dr Nilima Ibrahim Auditorium of Mahila Samity in the capital’s Baily Road this evening.  

Crutcher Colonel has been adapted from Shahaduzzaman’s novel with the same title by Soumya Sarkar and Samina Luthfa Nitra.

Directed by Mohammad Ali Haider, the play sheds light on the life of Colonel Abu Taher, one of the most decorated war heroes of the country.

Abu Taher was a Bangladeshi military serviceman, political activist and leader of the left wing Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal.

He was led an uprising which freed then army chief General Ziaur Rahman who later  hanged Taher on charges of high treason and killings. However, a Bangladeshi court declared the execution illegal in 2011.

Historical figures like Matia Chowdhury, Siraj Shikder, Ziaur Rahman and Khandoker Mustak are also depicted in the play in a character-shifting style.

The play ends with the hanging of Colonel Taher in the ‘kangaroo court.’

The possible cast of the play includes Imran Khan Munna, Kazi Roksana Ruma, Samina Luthfa Nitra, Toufique Hasan Bhuiyan, Pankaj Majumder, Ivan Riaz, M Sayed, Nfiz Bindu Manzarul Islam Roni, Golam Mahbub Masum and Nafiul Islam. 

Another show of the play will be held tomorrow at the same venue.