Exclusive! Kaushik Sen on directing Hajar Churashir Maa: Unlike today’s politicians, young Naxalites were not opportunists

Mahasweta Devi’s 1974 novel Hajar Churashir Maa captures the commitment of young revolutionaries to put their faith in Naxalism. In 1998, Govind Nihalni adapted the novel on screen in Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa in 1998. The film features Jaya Bachchan, Nandita Roy, Joy Sengupta and others. Now, Kaushik Sen is all set to bring Hajar Churashir Maa on stage as his theatre group Swapnasandhani’s latest production for 2024.

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Hajar Churashir Maa delves into a day’s journey of a bereaved mother Sujata whose son Brati gets killed by the state machinery for upholding Naxalite idealism. Sujata remembers her son on his death anniversary as her surroundings, including her husband, move on with life. Kaushik has adapted the novel into a play. Reshmi Sen will play Sujata, Riddhi Sen will be seen as Brati, and Surangana Bandyopadhyay will be seen as Nandini – Brati’s girlfriend. Anirban Bhattacharya will play Brati’s father while Swapnasandhani’s veteran member Ditipriya Sarkar will be seen as Mrs Kapadia. 

Elaborating on the reason behind selecting Hajar Churashir Maa, Kaushik said that he wanted to revisit the commitment of young revolutionaries who believed in Naxalism. “There can be debates on whether they were right in their politics or not but there cannot be any question on their selfless commitment. An entire generation gave up their everything to serve their idealism. They were not opportunists. In a time when the entire political scenario of the country and state is driven by just opportunism and nothing else, the Naxal movement seems like a whiff of fresh air,” he said. 

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National Award-winner musician Prabuddha Banerjee will compose the music for the play. Eminent cinematographer Soumik Halder will design the lights. “I always wanted to work with a cinematographer on stage to see how he plans the light for the stage,” said Kaushik. Meanwhile, Shibaji Pal will design the set. The real will start their rehearsal from next month onwards. The play will premiere in May, in the time of Swapnasandhani’s annual festival.