Kolkata: The iconic Star Theatre, built in 1883 in Hatibagan, will be renamed Binodini Theatre after Binodini Dasi, who was born to a prostitute and the first celebrated actress of Bengali theatre who quit acting in her early 20s but had risen to enormous height of popularity by then.
This was announced by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday. As a follow-up step, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) notified the new name through a circular soon after her declaration.
“You have heard about Star Theatre, which is very famous. I have already told the mayor (of Calcutta) that we will rename Star Theatre as Binodini Theatre as a mark of respect to honour women,” Mamata said at a rally in Sandeshkhali.
Binodini Dasi or Noti Binodini was instrumental in setting up the original Star Theatre which was located on Beadon Street, but was torn down in 1931 for the expansion of Central Avenue.
She quit theatre in January 1887 and bid adieu to her passion during the peak of her career. Among many theories on why she quit, a popular one says she felt betrayed when the theatre on Beadon Street was not named according to her wish. There is another theory that she took the route of spirituality after Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa blessed her after watching her enact the role of Sri Chaitanya.
Education minister and playwright-actor-director Bratya Basu termed Banerjee's decision a right one on Facebook, saying a historical wrong was set right by renaming Star Theatre as Binodini Theatre. “After 150 years, Mamata Banerjee set injustice done to Binodini right today," Basu wrote. The present day Star Theatre stands at Hatibagan in Kolkata. It was set up in 1888.
How and when was Star Theatre born?
July 21, 1883, marked a new era for Bengali theatre with the opening of Star Theatre. Girish Ghosh, a famous playwright, novelist, and theatre director of yesteryears directed the play Daksha Yajna, which became a smash hit from the first day. Thanks to the Girish-Binodini partnership on stage.
Though Goormookh Roy, the rich man who put his money into the venture, left the business in the next six months, the robust journey of Star continued charming theatre lovers. The chang in ownership did not affect its functioning as under the new ownership of Amritalal Mitra and Amritalal Bose, the theatre produced innumerable hits like Madhusudan Dutta’s Meghnadh Bodh Kabya and Chaitanya Leela, a play that even watched by seer Ramakrishna Paramahansa.
The ascetic was so moved by the performance of the team that he went to the green room after the show to bless actors. Binodini, the biggest attraction of the group, left Star soon after this and its popularity started declining with her departure. On July 31, 1887, Star Theatre performed its last show.
