Feature

'Cranky Dhaka' by Brine Pickles

Rajiv Ashrafi

DHAKA is surely a city with many faces, but none so far has tried to showcase its 'cranky' side. Brine Pickles did it when they performed their show at University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh in Dhanmondi. The writing/performance group carried out a number of skits that aimed at showing the many faces of Dhaka, but mostly focused on the “cranky” side, hence the name “Cranky Dhaka”. It was an interesting show, to say the least.

The opening skit wasn't about Dhaka, though. It was a conversation between Adam & Eve that focused on the original sin, literature and whatnot. While the concept was sort of fresh, the execution lacked the passion, as the dialogue between the two actors Rubaid Iftekhar Mahbub and Maherin Ahmed felt forced at times. However, it was an interesting skit although it was not related to our beloved city as such.

The following skit “Moods of Dhaka” was an exposition narrated by Risalat Khan that went back to the main theme of the show. As the title tells you, it was about Dhaka's many moods. The delivery was great, with the exposition accompanied by beautiful pictures of the city by Sabhanaz Rashid Diya that managed to evoke emotion in the audience.

However, the next skit “Khewl” by Idrak Hossain left the audience confused. It was supposedly a rap performance, but the delivery was anything but. The speech by Idrak was garbled and he looked nervous onstage. It was made worse by the accompanying actor who kept on shouting “yo” into the microphone at certain intervals, making it seem all the more confusing. Maybe the skit was supposed to parody the current “yo” culture of many of Dhaka's youth, but it was surely lost on the audience.

“Dreams” and “Heroinchi” were better by comparison, featuring witty dialogue and sharp commentary on the various people of Dhaka, including its many drug addicts. The song “Dhaka'r Tokai” by Theotonius Gomes was an excellent tribute to the many street children who roam the city's streets. The video that accompanied the song was both funny and sad at the same time, showing both the innocence and the loss of innocence of the tokais.

The “Email Home from Kolkata” skit was an interesting look at the neighboring country's famous city from the eyes of a foreigner. The delivery by Kazi Sarmad Karim was excellent, with varying tones and moods, and the underlying message was well-received. The following skit “One Such Morning” by Sameeha Suraiya showed the life of a girl of Dhaka city, focusing on the various trials and tribulations, as well as the lofty expectations by her parents, in a nice, compact package.

“Remix” and “Marriage Talk” were both well-performed skits, but not memorable compared to the two that preceded and followed them. “Cell-phone Breaking Syndrome” by Sabhanaz Rashid Diya was a biting commentary on the state of 'love' in the current generation, featuring the theatrics of a hapless boyfriend and his overtly jealous girlfriend. It induced many laughs from the audience, with the actors effortlessly carrying out their performance. “Media is the Message” was another show-stealer, parodying the current state of the media in the country. Sarah Z.H. portrayed Rumana, a news anchor who elicits foxy whistles from her audience and cares only about her appearance and not the news, who introduces a skit that parodies the very happenings at “BRANGS Tower”, an obvious bite at a certain building that recently captured the attention of every media source. Sabhanaz Rashid Diya, Fatima Tuz Zuhra, Navid Akbar and Kazi Sarmad Karim all play roles in the excellent skit that got much applause from the audience.

These skits were followed by another “Moods of Dhaka” that preceded a final song by Hasan Ameen. Titled “See the Stars Shine Blue”, the song was an apt ending to an absolutely fantastic look at the cranky side of Dhaka.

Overall, the show was a success despite raw performances by many of the group's members. There were skits that were absolutely wonderful, but they were too spread out. The whole presentation was well done, especially the photographs that accompanied many of the skits, as well as the video during “Dhaka'r Tokai” which was great to see.