Theatre ‘52’ staged two lesser-known leto plays by National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam, “Sudkhor Brajen Mukherjee” and “Bilati Ghorar Baccha”, marking the 50th anniversary of his death.

Directed by Joyita Mahalanabish, the productions were staged on September 1 at the Studio Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy in Segunbagicha.

Written during Nazrul’s adolescence, the plays bring his satire, rebellious spirit and engagement with social realities to the stage. Mahalanabish said that while Nazrul’s significance in Bengali literature is widely recognised, his theatrical works have received comparatively little attention and are rarely staged.

She said the productions aimed to introduce younger audiences to lesser-known aspects of Nazrul’s body of work beyond his widely performed songs and poems.

The cast included Md Nazrul Islam Sohag, Shibli Sadik, Adib Majlish Khan, Apurba Roy, Jewel Chakma, Tajrin Rahman, Tasmin Siddiqui, Moinuddin Shihab, Ranjita Das, Afrin Khan Shammi, Antik Mahalanabish, Afif Khan, Rudra Neel, Amit Das and Sabila Nasrin, alongside other young performers.

Rabiul Islam Shashi handled the music, while Jewel Chakma and Nazrul Islam Sohag worked on the props.