Directed by Azad Abul Kalam, the production approaches Tagore’s symbolic text through a contemporary lens, stripping away ornamental abstraction to foreground a blunt question: what happens when education trains conformity instead of thought?

A nine-member jury board comprising eminent theatre personalities such as Shafi Ahmed, Kamaluddin Kabir, Haroon Ar Rashid Khan, Debaprosad Debnath, Hridi Huq, Fahmida Haq Koli, Sadhana Ahmed, Kha Ma Harun, and Nazrul Kabir were tasked to watch and evaluate 33 plays staged in 2023 for the award.

Azad Abul Kalam has graced the stage, television, and silver screen with his exceptional talent, presenting audiences with unforgettable characters. Recently, he portrayed the titular character in the web-series "Puff Daddy", which captured everyone's attention.

Celebrating the essence of Bangladeshi theatre itself, eminent thespian and television persona Aly Zaker and his theatre troupe Nagorik Natya Sampradaya organised the first “Notuner Utshob”, with seven theatre plays back in 2019. Now, paying respect to the late artiste, this year’s festival has been titled “Aly Zaker Notuner Utshob 2023”.