Ganonatya Kendra stages Halkhata

Theatre troupe Ganonatya Kendra staged its acclaimed play Halkhata on Sunday at National Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.
Written and directed by Khairul Bashar, Halkhata gives the audience a glimpse into the rural Bengal with emphasis on the tension between the rich and the poor and how the latter are exploited by the former.
The play opens with a couple Alta Banu and Rahimuddin, who like everyone else in the village live happily. But the peaceful life of the villagers comes to a halt due to the exploitation of the powerful and profit-seeking matbars and mahajans, who lend money to the poor and extract excessive profit.
Determined to break the cycle of exploitation, the villagers, led by Rahimuddin, make a stand against the mahajans but with little success as Rahimuddin eventually gets killed by hired goons.
The play, however, does not end with any note of pessimism and instead ends with the message of optimism.
The determination to continue fighting against exploitation and oppression is voiced by a pregnant Alta Banu.
Ganonatya Kendra artistes Sharif Siraj, Cathy Milita, Khairul Bashar, Faisal Titumir and others acted in the play.