Watching jatra performances changed my life: Mamunur Rashid

For veteran theatre personality Mamunur Rashid, the roots of acting trace back not to formal training halls or television studios, but to the vibrant world of jatra pala watched on cold winter nights during childhood. The Ekushey Padak-winning artiste says those early performances — filled with dramatic storytelling, elaborate stagecraft, and emotional intensity — first shaped his understanding of the transformative power of acting. He has travelled to Tangail for the Eid holidays. He will be celebrating Eid with his mother, while his siblings are also expected to reunite with the family during the break.

He said, “I travelled to Tangail after enduring a ten-hour traffic jam for the Eid holidays. My mother is still alive, and I want to spend time with her while the whole family comes together. This joy is truly something special.”

Founder of theatre troupe Aranyak Natyadal in 1972, Mamunur Rashid has long been regarded as one of Bangladesh’s most influential theatre personalities. His stage plays have earned recognition beyond the country’s borders, while his contributions to television drama have also remained significant throughout his decades-long career. The Ekushey Padak-winning artiste recently spoke to The Daily Star about how his passion for acting first began.

“During childhood, I used to watch jatra performances,” Mamunur Rashid recalled. “The acting felt extraordinary. Is it ever possible to forget watching jatra on freezing winter nights? Never. Those memories will always stay with me.”

He said the elaborate stage settings and dramatic performances deeply fascinated him from a young age. “When actors on stage would point and say, ‘This is the throne, this is the royal palace,’ it truly felt real to me at that moment. I realised how powerful acting could be.”

Mamunur Rashid spent part of his childhood in Bolla, a well-known area in Tangail’s Kalihati upazila, where his father was posted for work. While studying at Bolla Coronation School, he became increasingly drawn to jatra performances.

“I used to sneak away to watch them,” he said with a smile. “There was a different kind of excitement and affection attached to it. Honestly speaking, I came into acting after watching jatra pala.”

The actor and playwright recalled that during his school years, he would also travel by boat to Mirzapur, where renowned jatra troupes frequently performed. “Those performances intensified my interest in acting,” he said. “I kept wondering how actors could move thousands of people — make them laugh, cry, and completely immerse them in a story.”

Later, after moving to Dhaka, Mamunur Rashid became deeply interested in radio dramas broadcast on Akashvani. Although he pursued formal education — eventually completing his master’s degree from the University of Dhaka — his attraction towards acting continued to grow.

“Acting had completely taken over me,” he said.

He recalled the arrival of television in the country during the mid-1960s as another turning point. “Television itself felt like a huge wonder back then,” he said.

According to Mamunur Rashid, he wrote his first television drama around 1966 or 1967, which was produced by Abdullah Yusuf Imam. The play, titled “Chenamukh”, was eventually broadcast in 1968.

He also revealed that before Bangladesh’s independence, he adapted Shahidullah Kaiser’s celebrated novel “Sangsaptak” for television, where film actress Rozi portrayed the character Hurmati.

“Since then, I have acted in countless dramas and written many plays,” Mamunur Rashid said. “And even now, my acting journey continues.”