Kanjus is an adaptation of The Miser written by world famous 17th century French playwright Jean-Baptiste Poquelin Molière. The original adaptation was done long ago by renowned actor-director Tareq Anam Khan. Lok Natyadal has since then staged the play 144 times. And thus Kanjus has become the most staged play in the history of theatre in Bangladesh.

The story of Kanjus is about a sixty-year-old extremely miserly person, Hiader Ali. He does not wish to spend even for his own son Kazim and daughter Laili. He has a large amount of money hidden in a pot in his garden. Kazim is in love with neighbour Marjina, while Laili has a relationship with Bodiuzzaman, actually son of Haider's friend Aslam Beg but now in disguise of the personal orderly of Haider Ali. The situation comes to a climax when Haider Ali himself plans to marry Marjina.

Meanwhile another dramatic situation is created when Haider Ali's hidden money is stolen and the blame is perfidiously put on Bodiuzzaman by Kala Mia, the cook and rickshaw-puller of Haider. In course of events, however, Bodiuzzaman and Marjina come to learn that they are siblings and meet their father Aslam Beg. Haider Ali yields to his children's choice only when Aslam Beg agrees to pay all the expenditure of the marriages.

The acting of most of the characters, especially that of Lal Mia, Kala Mia, Golapjan--the matchmaker, and Haider Ali, was greatly applauded by the audience. The odd physical gestures and crude humorous language of dialogues were the chief sources of laughter in the play.

Further modification of Tareq Anam's script in context of the present time enhanced the congeniality of the play. When Haider's money is stolen, for example, he threatens to go to court, for tracking the criminal. That was a good piece of satire on any kind of abusive politics.

Muntasir by Dhaka Theatre, on the other hand, is quite opposite to Lok Natydal's production. Written in rhyme by the eminent playwright Selim Al Deen, the play offers a deeply rooted intellectual metaphorical satire on the entire political heritage of our country after the Liberation War.

The character of Muntasir is affected by a peculiar 'post-Liberation War' disease that has made him omnivorous. Muntasir now feels like eating anything and everything: he now sees a dry cake in Adamjee Jute Mills, a cream-roll in the Bangabandhu Jamuna Bridge, a rasagolla in the now-defunct Ekushey Television, a nashpati in a nurse. When doctors operate on him, they find items like sari, antique show piece, a huge rope, women's hair-clips and many other things.

The character of Muntasir is actually an allegorical presentation of the political history of the country after independence. The playwright is amusingly artistic in applying the poetic dialogue including several pieces of satirical songs. The performers also kept a high tempo of the play. Shimul Yusuff, Pijush Bandyopadhyay, Shahiduzzaman Selim and Kamal Bayejid in the character of Muntasir were very entertaining. The stage props, mostly designed by the group's activist Ershad Kamol, conform quite perfectly to the tone of the drama.