Dev Entertainment Ventures released the unique poster for their highly anticipated film Binodiini-Ekti Natir Upakhyan, helmed by famous filmmaker Ram Kamal Mukherjee, at the Binodini Theatre (formerly known as Star Theatre) in front of the cast and crew. The poster features actor Chandan Roy Sanyal in a transforming role as the legendary Shri Ramakrishna Paramhansa Deb.

The film tells the amazing but heartbreaking story of a young girl from North Kolkata’s red-light district who dares to dream of becoming a theatre sensation. Against all difficulties, she rose to prominence as Nati Binodini, a name that came to represent brilliance in Bengali theatre.

However, her ascension was marred by societal prejudice and hurdles, with the shadow of her background often threatening to eclipse her accomplishments.

Director Ram Kamal Mukherjee brings Binodini’s narrative to life, focusing on her hardships and accomplishments as a “fallen woman” battling for dignity in a male-dominated culture. The film follows her journey through 19th-century Bengal’s lively but oppressive theatre culture, which is rich in musical and dramatic tradition.

This is the director’s first full-length Bengali feature film.

“The first play I saw was Anandamath at Star Theatre with my father during my childhood. Standing here and releasing the poster is a great feeling for me. I could not make this film alone and this requires teamwork. Without proper teamwork, this film would not become a reality. I am glad that I got such a team” said the director.

“Binodiini is more than just a biopic. It is an homage to the unwavering spirit of women who endure insurmountable obstacles in pursuing their aspirations. When I first heard that I would have to act in this role, I was shocked and went silent for two minutes. This was way back in 2019. It took a long time to convince producers to invest in a film whose story is about a woman and with an actress in the lead role. Ultimately Pramod Films and Dev Entertainment Ventures came forward to support the film. And I am also thankful to CM Mamata Banerjee for changing the name of Star Theatre to Binodini Theatre. It means a lot for the team of the film and also for women” said Rukmini Maitra.

The cast of the film consists of Rahul Bose, Kaushik Ganguly, Mir, Chandreyee Ghosh, and Om Sahani among others.

Priyanka Poddar has written the story, screenplay, and dialogue for the movie.

Abhra Chakraborty has done the research work.

Soumik Haldar is the DOP of the film.

Sourendro-Somyojit composed the music for this film. The musical duo was touched when they heard the story of the film.

“Not only did we get to work in a Bengali film but also we got to work in a film which narrates the story of such a legendary personality. When we heard the script, we came to know about many unheard stories about her. We got great liberty while composing the music. The entire musical journey shows the different voices of Binodiini from her young to old age. It was a fascinating experience for us” said Sourendro.

Produced by Pramod Films in association with Assorted Motion Pictures and presented by Dev Entertainment Ventures, the movie is all set to release on 23rd January 2025 across multiple single screens & multiplexes in West Bengal.

Priyanka Dutta