Binodini Dasi (1863–1941), also known as Notee Binodini, was an Indian

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

actress and thespian. She started acting at the age of 12 and ended by the time she was 23, as she later recounted in her noted autobiography, ''Amar Katha'' (The Story of My Life) published in 1913.

Biography

Born to prostitution, she started her career as a

courtesan Courtesan, in modern usage, is a euphemism for a "kept" mistress (lover), mistress or prostitute, particularly one with wealthy, powerful, or influential clients. The term historically referred to a courtier, a person who attended the Royal cour ...

and at age twelve she played her first serious drama role in Calcutta's National Theatre in 1874, under the mentorship of its founder,

Girish Chandra Ghosh Girish Chandra Ghosh (28 February 1844 – 8 February 1912) was a Bengali actor, director, and writer. He was largely responsible for the golden age of Bengali theatre.Kundu, Pranay K. ''Development of Stage and Theatre Music in Bengal.'' Publ ...

. Her career coincided with the growth of the

proscenium A proscenium ( grc-gre, προσκήνιον, ) is the metaphorical vertical plane of space in a theatre, usually surrounded on the top and sides by a physical proscenium arch (whether or not truly "arched") and on the bottom by the stage floor ...

-inspired form of European theatre among the Bengali theatre going audience. During a career spanning twelve years she enacted over eighty roles, which included those of Pramila,

Sita Sita (; ) also called as Janaki and Vaidehi is a Hindu goddess and the female protagonist of the Hindu epic, ''Ramayana''. She is the consort of Rama, the avatar of the god Vishnu, and is regarded as a form of Vishnu's consort, Lakshmi. She ...

Draupadi Draupadi ( sa, द्रौपदी, draupadī, Daughter of Drupada), also referred to as Krishnaa, Panchali, and Yagyaseni, is the main female protagonist of the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata,'' and the common consort of the five Pandava brothers ...

Radha Radha ( sa, राधा, ), also called Radhika, is a Hindu goddess and the chief consort of the god Krishna. She is worshiped as the goddess of love, tenderness, compassion, and devotion. She is the avatar of goddess Lakshmi and is also de ...

, Ayesha,

Kaikeyi Kaikeyi (Sanskrit: कैकेयी, IAST: Kaikeyī) is the second consort of King Dasharatha, and a queen of Ayodhya in the Hindu epic Ramayana. Out of Dasharatha's three wives, Kaikeyi exerts the most influence. Formerly the princess of Kek ...

, Motibibi, and Kapalkundala, among others. She was one of the first

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;;;;; ...

n actresses of the theatre to write her own autobiography. Her sudden retirement from the stage is insufficiently explained. Her

autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life. It is a form of biography. Definition The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English peri ...

has a consistent thread of betrayal. She violates every canon of the feminine smritikatha and wrote down what amounted to her indictment of respectable society.

Ramakrishna Ramakrishna Paramahansa ( bn, রামকৃষ্ণ পরমহংস, Ramôkṛṣṇo Pôromohôṅso; , 18 February 1836 – 16 August 1886),——— — also spelled Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, born Gadadhar Chattopadhyaya,, was an In ...

, the great saint of 19th century Bengal, came to see her play in 1884. She was a pioneering entrepreneur of the Bengali stage and introduced modern techniques of stage make-up through blending European and indigenous styles.

In popular culture

* In Dinen Gupta's

film ''Nati Binodini'' (1994)

Debashree Roy Debashree Roy (born 8 August 1962), also known as Debasree Roy, is an Indian actress, dancer, choreographer, politician and animal rights activist. As an actress, she is known for her work in Hindi and Bengali cinema. She has been cited as the ...

played the character. * ''Nati Binodini'', a play based on her autobiography, ''Aamar Kathaa'' was first presented by

National School of Drama National School of Drama (NSD) is a theatre training institute situated at New Delhi, India. It is an autonomous organization under Ministry of Culture, Government of India. It was set up in 1959 by the Sangeet Natak Akademi and became an indepe ...

Repertory Company in 1995 with the lead role played by actor,

Seema Biswas Seema Biswas (born 14 January 1965) is an Indian actress who works in Hindi films and the theatre. She gained prominence after playing the role of Phoolan Devi in Shekhar Kapur's film '' Bandit Queen'' (1994), for which she won the National Fil ...

, then in 2006, noted theatre director

Amal Allana Amal Allana (born 14 September 1947) is an Indian theatre director, scenic designer and costume designer and presently she is in her second consecutive term as the Chairperson of National School of Drama, India's premier institute of Theatre tra ...

directed a play by the same name which premiered in Delhi. * In ''

Abohomaan ''Abohomaan'' ( en, The Eternal) is a 2010 Bengali-language film by Rituparno Ghosh, which explores the nuances of relationships through a married film director who falls in love with an actress who is the same age as his son. The film stars De ...

'', directed by

Rituparno Ghosh Rituparno Ghosh (31 August 1963 – 30 May 2013) was an Indian film director, actor, writer and lyricist. After pursuing a degree in economics, he started his career as a creative artist at an advertising agency. He received recognition for his ...

, the role of Binodini was essayed by

Ananya Chatterjee Ananya Chatterjee is an Indian actress who works in Bengali films. Known for her role in '' Abahoman'' which won her a National Award. She started her career as a TV actress. She acted in several TV serials and films, including three directed b ...

. * In ''

Prothoma Kadambini ''Prothoma Kadambini'' was an Indian Bengali television biographical period drama based on the biography of the first practising female physician of British-ruled India and South Asia, Doctor Kadambini Ganguly. The show was aired on Bengali G ...

'', Diya Mukherjee is currently portraying the role of Nati Binodini. * Tuhinabha Majumdar directed "Aamaar Katha: Story of Binodini" , A documentary based on her autobiography. * In ''Lawho Gouranger Naam Re'', directed by

Srijit Mukherji Srijit Mukherji is an excellent national award winning Indian film director and screenwriter who predominantly works in Cinema of West Bengal, Bengali cinema. His regular collaboration with veteran actor Prosenjit Chatterjee brought him into the ...

, the role of Nati Binodini will be essayed by

Priyanka Sarkar Priyanka Sarkar is an Indian film and television actress who mosty works in Bengali films. Her first successful film was ''Chirodini Tumi Je Amar'' (2008) directed by Raj Chakraborty. She was married to actor Rahul Banerjee. Filmography Te ...

References

Sources

* * * *

External links

Binodini: an immortal tale
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dasi, Binodini 1862 births 1941 deaths Feminist artists Writers from Kolkata Indian stage actresses 20th-century Indian women writers Indian autobiographers Indian courtesans Indian female prostitutes Women autobiographers 19th-century Indian actresses 20th-century Indian actresses People of British India 19th-century Indian women writers 19th-century Indian writers Indian women non-fiction writers Women biographers 19th-century Indian biographers Women writers from West Bengal Actresses from Kolkata 20th-century Indian biographers

Biography

In popular culture

References

Sources

Further reading

External links