PulSirāt: A hauntingly beautiful tragedy

Pul-Sirāt by Prachyanat, in short, was a surreal, visually appealing and brilliantly-acted depiction of the gut-wrenching daily realities of Palestinian immigrants, who risk everything, including their lives, in pursuit of a better life for themselves and their families.

The play, based on Palestinian author Ghassan Kanafani's novel 'Men in the Sun', was translated by Masumul Alam, adapted for the play by Monirul Islam Rubel and directed by Kazi Toufiqul Islam Emon.

Its latest staging was on 26 September at the Experimental Theatre Hall in the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy. 

Upon entering the hall, the audience was greeted by the sombre music. The lighting and the cast performing some kind of a ritual on stage set the mood for the grim story that was about to unfold. 

The play is poignantly titled Pul-Sirāt, which in Arab, refers to a bridge over which the righteous will pass through into Paradise, while the wicked fall into the depths of despair. The bridge represent the struggles of the Palestinian refugees who often make the daring attempt to cross the unforgiving desert in the hopes of getting into a more prosperous country, a better life or even a paradise you might say.

Pul-Sirāt, while bluntly depicting the agonising lives of Palestinian immigrants, is successful in making the audience empathise with their struggle, their silent howls and the sheer sense of suffocation that comes with the lack of independence, both economic and in the literal sense.  

The story revolves around three such destitute Palestinian men: Abu Kayes, Asad and Marwan, representing three generations of refugees for whom Kuwait was a cherished paradise and a ticket to escape their misery. 

Abu Kayes, played by Shahriar Ferdous Sazeeb is a characteristically weak and apprehensive person. But he decided to overcome his personal misgivings as wanted a better future for his wife and two children. 

On the polar opposite side, we have Asad (Monirul Islam Rubel), a young, somewhat arrogant, hunk of a man who had tried unsuccessfully to cross into Kuwait before. But he still pushes on with an urge to prove himself to his uncle, whose daughter he wishes to marry. 

Then there is Marwan (Mitul Rahman), a sixteen-year-old teenager who had left school to take on the responsibility as the family's sole breadwinner. His father left his family to marry another rich disabled woman. His immigrant brother, the former primary earner of the family, started his own family in Kuwait and stopped sending money. 

In their pursuit, they meet Abu Khaijuran (Azad Abul Kalam), a lorry driver-cum-smuggler, who agrees to take them to Kuwait at a relatively cheap price. The rest of the story follows the journey of our fearless travellers as they try to make it to Kuwait on the other side of the desert.

The jarring monologues, the strong, heart-felt delivery and the sheer commitment from each of the actors to their characters, made PulSirāt a believable, emphatic story. 

On one hand, Azad Abul Kalam's portrayal of Abu Khaijuraan's spontaneity and playfulness injected a bit of laughter and comic relief into an otherwise grim story. On the other hand, Sazeeb's depiction of Abu Kayes's fear, confusion and desire to rescue his family, made the audience root for his character. Azad Abul Kalam and Sazeeb were definitely the MVPs, the other characters, especially Marwan and Saad, played by Mitul Rahman and Monirul Islam Rubel, respectively, did a great job as well. 

The lighting was perfect as its yellowish tone aptly captured the atmosphere under the desert sun. The music had a hauntingly middle-eastern flavour to it, and the sincere howl from Chetona Rahman Vasha at the end gave audiences goosebumps. 

In addition, the scene-to-scene transition was unique, going back and forth from the present to the past did not involve cutting the lights to black. The intermittent release from the smoke machine also created an ambience which gave the audience a feeling that they too were being exposed to a sandstorm in the desert. 

There's not much to complain about PulSirāt. But if one was being nitpicky, Pul-Sirāt puts heavy emphasis on the motivations of each of the characters to take on the daunting journey, rather than the journey itself. Much of the runtime in the play is focused on the backstory of the major characters and can leave you wanting more of the journey itself.