Binodini, Kadambari.....and Usha
The
Kolkata stage recently witnessed a number of productions that had been designed
to pay homage to womanhood in general and to two ladies in particular who have
had a long lasting influence on the Bengali psyche, particularly in the Bengali
cultural domain. Of them one lady the legendary stage queen Binodini Dasi is
passing through her sesquicentennial year, while the other
though not so ceremoniously celebrated is Kadambari Devi, the sister-in-law of
Rabindranath whose untimely death left the young poet shattered, not to speak
of an indelible scar on the social status of the Jorasanko family.
Behala Anudarshi’s presentation of Ek Nari Kadambari written and directed
by Sumana Chakraborty did not indulge in scandal mongering as is perhaps the
favourite past-time of us Bengalis, and is more so if it concerns someone from
a family that is generally revered by the common man. If it had not been so
then pornographic literature scandalizing such personalities would not have
topped the best-seller list keeping well researched analytical works far
behind. Fortunately the play by Sumana never strode for cheap applause. A story
with facts and fiction mixed adequately is told on the stage which brings in
different characters like Kadambari’s husband Jyotiridranth, her playmate
brother-in-law Rabindranath and other family members from whom viewers get to
know the new bride of the Jorasanko Tagores.
Kadambari before ending her life writes a letter to her consort Rabi
where she mentions Bindini Dasi as a detractor for her husband Jyoti and she also
mentions that Rabi’s recent marriage had left her forlorn. The play never transgresses
the modesty of the characters despite a few episodes that is difficult to comprehend.
Binodini is the first actress in this part
of the world who had penned an autobiographical sketch entitled Aamar Katha which was published in
1913. This piece in the form of a number
of letters addressed to “Garrick of the East” the great
dramatist-actor-director and the father of Bengali stage, Giris Chandra Ghose
is a gem of a literary work as is her later work Aamar Abhinetri Jiban. But unfortunately Binodini’s literary
talents have been purposefully overlooked by the various theatre historians and
this has rightly been pointed out in the introduction by the editors Soumitra
Chatterjee and Nirmalya Acharya of a collected works by Binodini. Her
experiences and observations have been penned in a lucid style that was
certainly much progressive in nature and it adds an important hindsight to the
theatre world of the late nineteenth century. Nirbak Abhinoy Academy presented Suranjana
Dasgupta in a mono-acting as Binodini in their latest production Aamar Katha. Excerpts from the original
work were presented with imaginative innovations.
Yet another play in commemoration of the
great actress was presented by Paikpara Aakhor in their latest production
entitled Meni (Binodini) o Kolkatar
Thiatar. Their earlier production on the life of the great singing star
Gawaharjaan was exemplary in every aspect thus it was natural for the viewers
to expect a presentation to touch the benchmark or even surpass it. The play
concentrated on the different dramas and the different characters the great
actress had played. Thus it was a huge workload on Anandi Bose to handle the
part. The contemporary theatre scene of the late nineteenth century and the
filthy politics played by the then owners and different theatre big-shots was
missing thus the play seemed not to have kept in tune to its own title. It was
a treat to watch the veteran thespian Asit Bose in the role of Giris Chandra.
The fourth production in our discussion is
absolutely different from the other three. Rangkarmee’s Antaryatra is an old production that Usha Ganguly has been doing
since the last twelve years perhaps as a soul-searching journey of a theatre
worker. One finds glimpses of such legendary productions like Mitti ki Gari, Parichay, Guria Ghar, Himmat
Mai and such likes. Simultaneously there is an effort to identify and
establish a niche for the woman actor in the social as well as the cultural
fronts.
Before signing off it can be said that the
Kolkata viewers loved them all.
