Kolkata, Jan 4 (PTI) Actor Rukmini Maitra, who is essaying the title role in the upcoming Bengali release ‘Binodiini Ekti Natir Upakhyan’ the biopic of ‘Nati Binodini’, the legendary actress of late 19th and early 20th century, says retracing her journey on the big screen was a dream come true for her.
‘Binodiini Ekti Natir Upakhyan’ is a woman-centric film bringing to the fore the tears, pains, sufferings and moments of adulation which came in the life of Binodini Dasi “the fallen woman” who was catapulted into stage by thespian Girish Ghosh breaking all stereotypes of patriarchy in the 19th century to become the queen of Bengali stage.
The theatre icon who was born in 1862 in a north Kolkata neighbourhood inhabited by sex workers began acting at the age of 12 and gave it up at 23.
“Director Ram Kamal Mukherjee had first discussed the storyline of the film first in 2019 but it was held up during Covid outbreak. After Covid, things started rolling though there were initial doubts about whether a woman-centric film will have backers. However, as the new producer stepped in and our dream project for six years is finally being unveiled for the audiences,” Rukmini, whose upcoming Bollywood project Tehran is slated to be released in January 2025 said on Thursday.
“Being a woman, portraying the character of a woman like Binodini Dasi, was cathartic. It is nothing short of your dream turning out to be true.
“Binodini Dasi symbolizes courage. The film is a tribute to the unputdownable resilience of a woman who braved social stigma and fought for recognition,” Rukmini, who had acted in films like Champ, Kidnap, Kismish, Sanak and Tekka, said.
Pointing out Binodini did not get due recognition for her contribution in Bengali stage plays, Rukmini said, “she had arranged funding for her dream theatre but instead of naming it after her, it was christened as Star Theatre.” Thanking West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for finally renaming the Star theatre as ‘Binodini Theatre’ recently, Rukmini said “in a patriarchal society a woman had to wait for 140 years.” “Once I had requested Didi to look into the issue, our CM fast-tracked the issue and I am grateful a theatre, associated with the life and works of Binodini Dasi, has been named after her before release of a biopic on her life,” she said at the poster launch of the film at Binodini Theatre in north Kolkata near the ancestral house of Binodini Dasi.
Slated to be released on January 23, the film also has critically acclaimed actor Rahul Bose as Binodini’s love interest, director-actor Kaushik Ganguly as thespian-playwright Girish Ghosh, versatile actor Chandan Roy Sanyal as Ramakrishna Paramahansa among others. PTI SUS RG
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