Are you a Calcuttan?? Then you must have heard about the star theatre. If not then let me take you through the journey of star theatre.
Let’s go way back to the year 1883 when star theatre was first built-in
Beadon Street, then it was later moved to Cornwallis Street which is now known
as Bidhan Sarani. Star theatre is one of the first institutions of commercial Bengali theatre. It is not just a
theatre but a heritage site for the locals as well as tourists alike.
When it comes to star theatre how can we forget Girish Chandra Ghosh and Noti Binodini?
THE DRAMATIC STORY
BEHIND THE NAMESAKE OF STAR THEATRE.
When it comes to Bengali our mind goes straight to
drama. The namesake of Star Theatre was equally dramatic. In 1883, Girish
Chandra Ghosh, the father of Bengali theatre, decided to leave the National
Theatre to start his theatre group Calcutta Star Company along with his muse
Noti Binodini. But to start a theatre is not a child’s play, a humungous sum of
money was needed. Girish Chandra sought Gurmukh Roy for finance and he agreed,
but he wanted Binodini’s consent to become his mistress. Thus, she had to make
a great personal sacrifice by leaving her old patron whom she truly loved. She
was also assured that the new theatre would be named after her, but many people
protested against it. They did not like naming the theatre after a fallen
woman. So instead, it was named STAR THEATRE. However, after so much hurt,
betrayal, and humiliation, Binodini still performed in the inaugural show of
the playhouse, “Daksha yagna”, directed by Binodini’s mentor Shri Girish
Chandra Ghosh who also played the character Daksha. Thus began the remarkable
journey of Star Theatre, which has given fame and recognition to several
exceptional talents.
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©ParnitaKundu |
Star Theatre has been through a lot and seen a lot in these past 125 years. This historical building faced a violent fire in 1991 but later was restored by the municipal corporation. Now star theatre mainly works as a cinema hall. They also build a Noti Binodini Memorial Art Gallery. It has showcased and restored a lot of talents. Be it drama, be it some notable historical events star theatre has seen it all.
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