'Shesher Kobita' cleared to return to stage after 'Tawhidi Janata' threat

Theatre troupe Prangonemor has been given the green light to stage its production of "Shesher Kobita" at Dhaka's Mohila Samiti auditorium following intervention from the Ministry of Cultural Affairs.

The play, originally scheduled to run for two consecutive days during Chaitra Sankranti and Pohela Boishakh, had been cancelled earlier on Sunday after venue authorities received a "threatening letter" from a group identifying themselves as "Tawhidi Janata".

While the Mohila Samity authorities have now restored the booking, Prangonemor says they are unable to stage Sunday’s performance due to time constraints and logistical issues and have sought an extra day -- Tuesday -- for a makeup performance.

Despite obtaining permission, the group would go ahead with a previously planned protest outside the Mohila Samity premises in the afternoon, said Prangonemor’s Artistic Director Ananta Hira.

“We were fully prepared, but this morning we were told our allotment was cancelled,” said Hira. “We were later asked to go ahead with the shows, but theatre doesn’t work on such short notice. Our set was already returned from the venue, and we need time to notify our audience. So today’s show isn’t happening.”

Director Nuna Afroz confirmed that they had received “full assurance” from authorities for the show. “We’re not holding today’s protest as originally planned, but due to the short notice, we can’t perform today either. However, we’ll go ahead with the Pohela Boishakh show,” she said.

Earlier in the day, the last-minute cancellation of the show was attributed to a threatening letter from Tawhidi Janata, which warned that the group would not be responsible for any damage caused if the show went ahead. The Mohila Samity authorities, citing security concerns, had cancelled the auditorium booking.

A copy of the letter seen by bdnews24.com refers to Nuna Afroz as a “fascist collaborator” and threatens to forcibly shut down the performance if the booking was not cancelled within 24 hours. The letter also refers to alleged support for the previous regime’s crackdown on protesters and connects the play’s performance to broader grievances, including violence against Muslims in Palestine.

In response, Ananta Hira said: “They cancelled our booking based on a letter we haven’t even seen. They didn’t even inform the police. Now that we’ve protested and contacted the authorities, we’ve received assurance of support.”

The Mohila Samity’s Executive Officer Syeda Sharmin Ara confirmed that the Ministry of Cultural Affairs and police officials had intervened, and the original two-day booking was reinstated.

Earlier, she had said the venue made the decision independently, without involving the police. “Since various activities take place here at the Mohila Samity, the management decided to cancel Prangonemor’s booking for safety reasons.”

"Shesher Kobita" is an adaptation of Rabrindranath Tagore’s novel, dramatised by Hira and directed by Afroz. It is the troupe’s sixth production.

This was not the performance at the Mohila Samity to be cancelled due to threats. In February, the Dhaka Metropolitan Theatre Festival was postponed for similar reasons. During Ramadan, the venue was closed to all theatre groups.

After Eid, Prangonemor’s "Shesher Kobita" was supposed to mark the return of theatre to the venue, but the fresh threat has once again cast uncertainty over its staging.

Earlier this month, in Gazipur’s Kapasia Upazila, a performance by the local Raniganj Udayan Club was called off due to objections from mosque committee members and some locals. However, the play "Apon-Dulal" was staged the following day after local political leaders intervened.

In November last year, a performance of "Nityopuran" at the National Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy in Dhaka had to be cancelled midway due to protests.