The Star Theatre, is a

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...

Hatibagan Hatibagan is a neighbourhood of North Kolkata in Kolkata district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Overview The area is under Shyampukur and Burtolla police stations. It is next to Shyambazar. The place is popular for its shops, markets ...

Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...

. It was built in 1883. Initially situated in Beadon Street, the theatre later moved to Cornwallis Street - now called

Bidhan Sarani Bidhan Sarani (formerly known as Cornwallis Street) is a principal north–south thoroughfare in north part of Kolkata, the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. It was named after the first Chief Minister of West Bengal, Bidhan Chandra R ...

. The Binodini Theatre, along with the Minerva Theatre, was one of the first institutions of commercial Bengali theatre.

History and overview

The Star Theatre, along with Minerva and The Classic Theatre, were also one of the places where the first motion pictures in Bengal, made by Hira Lala Sen, were screened.

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.'' Publi ...

was one of the first to produce plays at the Star Theatre, in the 1880s. It is a heritage site of Calcutta (Kolkata) that was destroyed in a fire and thereafter restored by the local municipal corporation. The restored Star Theatre maintains the heritage facade; the interiors are contemporary. The property is maintained by a private company. At present, it is primarily a cinema hall; plays are staged on about two days per month. However, during winter (December and January) plays are staged here much more frequently, of the order of ten days per month. The auditorium has excellent acoustics. Star Theatre is close to the junction of Grey Street ( Aurobindo Sarani) and Cornwallis Street (

). The theatre is a 10-minute walk from

Shobhabazar Sutanuti metro station Sovabazar Sutanuti is an underground metro station on the North-South corridor of the Blue Line of Kolkata Metro in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. It is located near Shobhabazar. History Station layout Connections Bus Bus route number 3B, ...

. Star Theatre has an underground car park with a nominal parking fee of Rs 10/- per hour (minimum three hours). Tramcar tracks, and services, on Grey Street and Cornwallis Street enhance the heritage ambience. In 2012, the Star Theatre was to be returned to civic ownership, "to stop commercialization of the historic building that was once visited by Bengali luminaries such as Vidyasagar,

Ramakrishna Paramhansa Ramakrishna (18 February 1836 – 16 August 1886——— —), also called Ramakrishna Paramahansa (; ; ), born Ramakrishna Chattopadhay,M's original Bengali diary page 661, Saturday, 13 February 1886''More About Ramakrishna'' by Swami Prab ...

and

Rabindranath Tagore Rabindranath Thakur (; anglicised as Rabindranath Tagore ; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengalis, Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer, and painter of the Bengal Renai ...

." In 2024, it was renamed as the "Binodini Theatre by CM

Mamata Banerjee Mamata Banerjee (; born 5 January 1955) is an Indian politician who is serving as the eighth and current List of chief ministers of West Bengal, chief minister of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of West Bengal since 2 ...

. It was done to pay respect to

Binodini Dasi Binodini Dasi (1863–1941), widely known by her stage name Noti Binodini, was a pioneering Indian Bengali language, Bengali actress, writer, and theatre personality of the 19th century. She began her acting career at the age of twelve in ...

, due to her close professional connection with the theatre and the importance of Star Theatre in her carrier.

References

External links

* Cinemas in Kolkata Theatres in Kolkata Cinema of Bengal Performing arts in India Theatres completed in 1883 1883 establishments in British India British colonial architecture in India {{India-theat-struct-stub