Just Natak’s first production “Honeymoon” a roaring success By Amitava Sen Photos by Kallol Nandi On June 4, the newly formed theatre group “Just Natak” presented their first production “Honeymoon,” a hilarious comedy by Debaki Banerjee, creating quite a response in the Bengali community. With unaffected acting, apt background music, apposite lighting, and skillful direction, the play was an exciting new experience for Atlanta’s Bengali-speaking audience. The evening’s program started with an opening song by Rabindranath Tagore: “Borisho dhora majhe santiro bari,” a prayer asking for a shower of peace on earth. Sharmeen Omar-Ahmed, Kunal Mitra, and Amitava Sen beautifully presented the song, with accompanying instrumental music arranged and presented by Amitava Sen. Just Natak’s mission of bringing together the entire Bengali community from West Bengal and Bangladesh to enjoy Bengali theatre, present Bengali theatre, and experience the wholesome joy of Bengali theatre was set by this opening number. The auditorium was filled with theatre-lovers from all Bengali sub-communities. Director Sri Dipankar Mitra welcomed the audience, and Sri Parthasarathi Mukherjee gave the synopsis of the play in Bengali, followed by Kunal Mitra in English. Hosting some of the region's most respected small theatre companies, the 14th Street Playhouse stage needed no microphone. Dialogues were heard clearly and the audience frequently burst out in laughter throughout the play. The acting of Abhijeet Hazra (Tarun) and Arunava Saha (Milon) enthralled everyone, while others also demonstrated well-honed acting skills: Jaba Ghosh (Sumita), Pranab Lahiri (Dadu), M. H. Akmal (Bhola), Amitava Sen (Naren), Sanghamitra Saha (Reshmi), Mridul Paul (Raisaheb), and Dipankar Mitra (Baren). Amitava Sen provided the background music; Bob Ghosh, Priyo Kumar Das, and Samaresh Mukherjee controlled sound and lights. The program was video-recorded by Suzanne Sen. Mamata Paul, Saibal Sengupta, Kunal Mitra, Papiya Paul, Molly Paul, Sohaum Paul, Sabari Roy, Jyoti Sengupta, and Saraswat Bose provided invaluable backstage and other assistance. During the intermission of the two-hour-long play, Nila Akmal and Urmila Mitra served delicious homemade snacks. Just Natak had also made arrangements for baby-sitting in an adjoining room. In the brochure, published by Urmila Mitra, were best wishes from two well-known theatre personalities from Kolkata, Saoli Mitra and Usha Ganguli. We hope to see more such entertaining and enlivening plays from Just Natak in the future. For more information about Just Natak, visit www.justnatak.org.