I went to see the opening play of the 2008 Theatre Festival at Ranga Shankara , and did not expect to be transported back to my childhood days….but nostalgia took hold of me as I revisited the days when I used to watch various Bengali plays at the famous Star Theatre ….

The play was about Binodini, the star of the theatre scene in 19th century Kolkata, who wrote an honest autobiography, “Aamaar Kothaa”…about ambition,love, betrayal and talent….and this has been adapted by Amal Allana and brought to the stage in a very powerful, intense production.

The costumes, as replicated from that era, were lavish and colourful…and since I want to do a proper review, I will just post some of the scenes from this production.

The stage properties were lavish:

The exaggerated makeup of those times was faithfully done: The choreography was fantastic, too: And the central character left one breathless in her dizzying experiences:' Some of the women were SO good-looking, that looking at them was a treat in itself! The title character was stunning from the moment of her entry, as an old woman looking back on her past: The costumes were absolutely breath-taking; here is the typical pleasure-seeking Babu of Kolkata, who lusts after the actress yet will not accept her talent: Here's Binodini, the bride-on-stage who is a whore-in-reality:

I will do a more detailed review later, off to Ranga Shankara to see some great theatre-related screenings for now…

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