Thespian Soumitra Mitra adapts Sunil Gangopadhyay’s ‘Jochona Kumari’ for stage
The play serves as a haunting reminder of the struggles & injustices faced by women
Bina, or perhaps she should be addressed as Fatima, is struggling. Grappling with the scars of molestation and the torment of lost memories, she navigates a life devoid of a homeland. Thespian Soumitra Mitra’s latest Bengali play, ‘Jochona Kumari,’ based on Sunil Gangopadhyay’s timeless literary work, serves as a haunting reminder of the struggles and injustices faced by women. The two-hour play has 24 actors and will be staged at the Academy of Fine Arts at 6.30 pm on August 11.
It was Gangopadhyay’s wife Swati who asked Mitra to adapt ‘Jochona Kumari’ for stage. “Sunil da and Swati di have been family friends and when she told me to adapt the story in June, I readily agreed. The very next day, I read the book and asked Ujjwal (Chattopadhyay) to write the dialogues. Soon, Meghnad (Bhattacharya) and Subhasish (Mukherjee) came on board and we knew we could do justice to Sunil da’s writings,” said Mitra, also the director of Purba Paschim.
Deeply disturbed by the Manipur violence, where two women were paraded naked, and rape cases across the country, Mitra said the incidents serve as harsh reminders that despite technological advancements, mistreatment towards women persist as painful realities. “But then, there are people like Babaji (Mukherjee) and Trilocharan (Bhattacharya) who make us believe in humanity,” he said. In the play, Babaji and Trilocharan serve as embodiments of hope and morality, a sharp contrast with the backdrop of a society marred by gender-based oppression and the struggles faced by women. “Sunil da wrote the book in the 1970s. Even in 2023, the story is as relevant as ever. I think even after 10 years, the situation will remain the same,” said Bhattacharya.
Human trafficking, a central theme in the play, is a subject that Mitra has deftly handled. “The most common form of human trafficking is sexual exploitation and the play not only sheds light on a critical issue but also serves as a call for society to collectively strive for change,” said Mukherjee.
