Brindaban Das

As a playwright, Brindaban Das is equally busy writing plays for theatre and TV. He is a member of the theatre troupe Prachyanat and some of the plays written by him, aired on TV have become quite popular. In a recent interview with The Daily Star, this cordial writer, an introvert shared his thoughts and experiences of becoming a scriptwriter.
“I joined the Bangladesh Mukto Natok Andolon, an organisation working in the grassroots level, with an aspiration to be an actor. I performed in several plays during that time, and in 1993 I joined Aranyak. As a member of Aranyak, I've acted in the plays Pagolmukha, Jai Jayanti, Monimukta and others. In 1997, some of us left the troupe and formed Prachyanat. This is where I discovered myself as a scriptwriter,” says Brindaban.
The progression of becoming a writer however did not happen overnight. Brindaban has had writing skills from the beginning and was involved with the little magazine movement while he was a university student.
According to the writer, “As a newly formed group, there was a dearth of scripts in Prachyanat. We used to work on scripts that were not developed well. Working on these scripts, I gathered some idea on theatre plays and felt like writing. My group members also inspired me a lot. That's how it started.”
The Prachyanat production Darir Khela earned Brindaban appreciation from the audience and critics. TV serials written by him, like The New Shabuj Opera on ATN Bangla and Ghor Kutumi which is currently on air on Channel i are hugely popular. Directed by Salauddin Lavlu, the latter has been recently released in DVD format.
Brindaban is so serious about his writing that he left his day job to be able to concentrate more.
“I know it might not sound wise to take script writing as the sole profession, but my experience has provided me with some confidence. I would say, if anyone is sincere, he/she can pursue a fulltime career in the media.
“As for me, it seems am not fit for a nine-to-five job. But as I am a part of the society and since I do have some responsibilities towards my family, I have to think about what I'm earning. I can honestly say that I'm quite content with my modest home and family,” Brindaban says.
Speaking on how he gets new ideas for his scripts, the writer smilingly explains, “ You have to think a lot. Every individual goes through so many experiences. You just have to have an insight in peoples' lives to bring forth ideas from them.”
Has he thought about directing plays? Brindaban responds, “Direction is a much more demanding position. I just give my writings to the directors and they decide what to do with them.”
Brindaban Das is quite optimistic about the present situation of the electronic media. “Now we are technically more advanced. There are a lot of experiments and it's very positive. Not that each play is a high quality production, but there are some impressive works,” he concluded.