Mumbai: Actor Kangana Ranaut is set to play Bengali theatre legend Binodini Dasi, better known as Noti Binodini, in a film. Pradeep Sarkar, known for Parineeta and Mardani, will direct the upcoming movie. Prakash Kapadia (Devdas, Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior) has penned the script.
Ranaut, who will be seen in the role of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in Emergency, is coming up with another biopic - that of legendary theatre artist Noti Binodini.
- Kangana to play real-life character for the fourth time
This is Ranaut's fourth film in which she plays a real-life character, following Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi, Thalaivii (J Jayalalithaa), and the upcoming feature Emergency (Indira Gandhi). Kangana is expected to start shooting for the film early next year, after wrapping Emergency.
"I am a very big fan of Pradeep Sarkaar ji and very happy for this opportunity. Also this will be my first collaboration with Prakash Kapadia ji and I am completely thrilled to be part of this remarkable journey with some of the greatest artists of this country," the actor said in a statement.
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- Who is Noti Binodini?
Born in 1862, Binodini grew up under the tutelage of Girish Chandra Ghosh and appeared in her first performance at the age of 12. She became such a name in the proscenium theatre form of the European genre that European theatre lovers would call her 'the flower of native stages'.
- First South Asian theatre actress to write her own autobiography
Born into a family of sex workers in Kolkata, Binodini emerged as the most famous actress of 19th century Bengal. She played over 80 roles including those of Sita, Draupadi, Radha, Kaikeyi, and Motibibi, among others. She is also regarded as one of the first South Asian actresses of the theatre to write her own autobiography.
