BINODIINI - EKTI NATIR UPAKHYAN

by SOUVIK DUTTA

A Flame in the Dark: Theatre, Transcendence, and the Triumph of Womanhood

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In Binodiini, director Ram Kamal Mukherjee offers more than a historical biopic — he delivers a cinematic ode to resistance, resilience, and the transformative power of a woman's voice in a world built to silence her. Based on a story by Priyanka Poddar, and enriched with a screenplay contribution by Mukherjee himself, this 151-minute Bengali period drama chronicles the extraordinary life of Binodini Dasi, the legendary 19th-century courtesan who defied patriarchal shackles to become the undisputed queen of the Bengali stage.

 

Set against the evocative backdrop of colonial Bengal, the film masterfully charts Binodiini’s ascent from the margins of society — born into a world that commodified her body — to a space where she claimed artistic agency, emotional depth, and social intellect. Binodiini is not just her story; it is the story of countless women whose talents were overshadowed by stigma, and whose brilliance was consumed but never credited.

 

Rukmini Maitra delivers a career-defining performance as Binodiini. Her portrayal is a symphony of grace, fire, and pathos. Whether she’s lighting up the theatre stage or quietly confronting betrayal behind closed doors, Maitra breathes emotional truth into every scene. Binodiini’s inner world — filled with artistic hunger, aching love, and a profound yearning for respect — becomes luminously real in her hands. Kaushik Ganguly, as the theatre stalwart Girish Chandra Ghosh, presents a powerful yet nuanced foil to her journey, while Rahul Bose adds emotional texture in a pivotal role. The narration by Sabyasachi Chakraborty threads the story with quiet gravitas.

 

The production, which began in February 2023 and wrapped by the end of March the same year, unfolds across carefully recreated period locations in Kolkata and Varanasi. Soumik Halder’s cinematography paints the world of 19th-century Bengal in deep chiaroscuro — the flicker of gas lamps on stage, the muted elegance of silk-clad courtyards, the smoky air of greenrooms thick with ambition and betrayal. Sourendro–Soumyojit's musical score does not merely accompany the narrative; it enhances it, evoking the soul of a woman who sang even when the world sought to silence her.

 

Released on 23 January 2025, the film’s premiere coincided with Netaji Jayanti, alongside the socially charged Shotyi Bole Shotyi Kichhu Nei, creating a thematic resonance around revolution — both political and personal.

 

What makes Binodiini particularly poignant in our times is its bold feminist voice. The film is an unflinching meditation on the exploitation of female performers, the appropriation of women’s labor and intellect, and the deep loneliness that often shadows brilliance. Despite her fame and contributions to modern theatre, Binodini died in obscurity — a reality the film does not soften but confronts with poetic defiance.

 

And yet, she triumphs.

 

Not because she was granted a pedestal by the men of her era, but because she carved it herself — through talent, intellect, and sheer will. Her life, as told in Binodini, is not a tragedy. It is an act of revolution.

 

Produced by Prateek Chakravorty and Dev, under Dev Entertainment Ventures, Pramod Films, and Assorted Motion Pictures, Binodiini had a modest budget of ₹4.50 crore and earned ₹1.55 crore at the box office — a sobering reminder of how stories of substance still struggle in the shadow of spectacle. But like its protagonist, the film's power lies not in numbers but in its enduring echo.

 

Verdict: Binodiini is a triumph of storytelling — elegant, impassioned, and timely. It is a film that restores a stolen legacy and gives voice to the silenced. A must-watch not only for lovers of theatre or history but for anyone who believes in the indomitable power of a woman who dares to dream.