Feminism and binodini dasi

She began her career at the age of 12 to support her family and went on to become an iconic presence in Bengali theatre. Her career spanned over a time of twelve years where she played over eighty roles.

Binodini dasi as an actress

She was one of the first actresses in South Asia to write her own autobiography, Amar Katha. She also wrote Amar Abhinetri Jibon My life as an actress. Both these books talk about her experiences in the theatre world of colonial calcutta, marred by loss, treachery, betrayal and exploitation. Her contribution as an actress and an entrepreneur and a makeup artiste is unforgettable.

My story and life as an actress by binodini dasi summary

Soumitra Chatterjee, who wrote the introduction to the recent reprint of Amar Katha , points out that she has largely been ignored and unacknowledged by history. This is often attributed to the fact that she was born into a non-dominant caste, low income family that engaged with sex work. The historians dealing with Bengali theatre and society have overlooked her narratives of her life and her contribution to the performing art.

Not only was she a pioneering entrepreneur , she also revolutionized stage make-up by blending European and Indian styles. Supriya Chaudhri claims that in the book, The First Light , Sunil Gangopadhyay provides the history of that era intertwined with gossip and romance. The semi-fictional is not very kind in its description towards Binodini Dasi.

He is unsympathetic towards her and sensationalizes her stormy relationship with her mentor Girish Chandra Ghosh. She says that what makes Binodini stand apart from all of her contemporaries is the fact that she never shied away from her roots. She proudly acknowledged the circumstances under which she began acting and charts her growth as an actress in her unfinished book, Amar Abhinetri Jibon.