Kangana Ranaut, a Bollywood actress, will play the iconic Bengali theatre actress Binodini Dasi, professionally known as ‘Noti Binodini,’ in an upcoming film directed by Pradeep Sarkar.
Noti Binodini was a pivotal figure in the evolution of Indian theatre culture. During a 12-year career, she played over 80 roles, including Sita, Draupadi, Radha, Ayesha, Kaikeyi, Motibibi, and Kapalkundala under the mentorship of Girish Chandra Ghosh. She was one of the first South Asian theatre actors to publish her memoirs.
When contacted, Kangana said, “I’m a very big fan of Pradeep Sarkar 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.”
This yet-to-be-titled mega-budget film has been written by Prakash Kapadia, who has movies such as ‘Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior’, ‘Padmavat’, ‘Devdas’ and ‘Black’ to his credit.
Kangana is likely to start shooting for the Pradeep Sarkar film early next year post her directorial ‘Emergency’, where she plays the lead role of the late former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Kangana will also be seen next in ‘Tejas’ essaying the role of an Air Force pilot.
Who is Noti Binodini/Binodini Das?
Binodini Das came from a humble background. The actress and singer was born in Kolkata in a subarb inhabited by sex workers predominantely. Better known by her stage name Nati Binodani, the actress started her career in acting at the age of 12 and gave it up at 23. Her family was poor and was said to have been involved in prostitution. In fact, the actress called herself a prostitute in her biography. Binodini Das was married at the age of 5 but later had no connection with her husband. She was a mistress to three persons, as per a report by Banglapedia.org.
Binodini Das hails from a humble family. The actress and singer was born in Kolkata in a neighbourhood dominated by sex workers. better known by her stage name, Nati Binodani, began her acting career at the age of 12 and ended it at the age of 23.Her family was poor and was said to have been involved in prostitution. In fact, in her biography, the actress refers to herself as a prostitute. Binodini Das was married at the age of five, but she had no contact with her husband after that.
Noti Binodini made her stage debut as Draupadi in the Great National Theatre. She also worked for Bengal Theatre. Das was also associated with the famed actor and dramatist Girish Chandra Ghosh, from whom she learned to act. In 1883, Girish Chandra and Noti Binodini also founded the Star Theatre.
Despite her fame as an actress, Binodini suffered aggressively at the hands of society. Binodini is also said to have played Chaitanya in Chaitanyaleela in front of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, a revered Hindu religious guru from nineteenth-century Bengal. Binodini’s acting abilities were recognised by famous figures of the time, including Bankim Chandra Chattopadhya and Swami Vivekananda.
Binodini Das was also a flair for writing and published her own autobiography ‘Amar Katha’ in 1912. She also wrote poems and a few short stories in her straightforward way.
Noti Binodini died a lonely woman, having lost her daughter at a young age, because of the social repression on women during the time and especially on Binodini as a theatre actress.
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