Moinul Haque

Oct 17: If speech is silver, then silence is golden. No one else but mime artiste Moinul Haque fits the adage aptly with his powerful performances.

Haque has decided to make a sort of “commentary” on the present political situation of the state this time. He will stage his latest production, Puppet, a political satire, at the proscenium of Rabindra Bhawan on November 12 and 13. The state’s department of cultural affairs has sponsored the event.

“Politics affects all of us, whether we are aware of it or not. It cannot be separated from the lives of the common man. My latest play is about this all-encompassing effect of politics in our lives,” said Haque.

Though Haque will not enact any role in the play, he will entertain the audience with solo performances for 30 minutes on the first day and for almost two hours on the second day.

The popular mime actor-director said his latest production was a big venture with 29 actors.

“My latest directorial venture is an ambitious one with a big set and pulsating music adding colour to the powerful script of the play,” he said.

Haque himself has written the script for the play.

Haque, who is also a faculty member of Sangeet Natak Akademi and Centre for Cultural Resources and Training (CCRT), New Delhi, runs his own Mime Academy in the city. He has been making mime productions on various social issues like dowry, environment and pollution.

“My school of theatre is a socially responsible institution of drama production. All my plays highlight issues affecting society. I cannot think of staging a play without a message to the people,” said the soft-spoken director.

The ministry of tourism and culture honoured Haque’s talents and efforts by awarding him senior fellowship on mime.

50-year-old artiste never received any formal training in mime. He started as a mono actor in the group, Sound and Comedy, in 1976. He started performing mime in 1980 after reading a Bengali book, Mukhabhinaya —- Tatwa Bidhi, by Shyam Mohan Chakravarty.

“The stage has been my sanctuary for past three decades. It is here, at the proscenium, where I developed my skills and started my career in mime art,” said Haque.

“Chakravarty’s book inspired me to try my hands in mime art. As I progressed, I gradually learnt the art and with help from experts from different corners of the world.”