Star Theatre to be renamed Binodini Theatre: Mamata

Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced on Monday that Star Theatre on Beadon Street would be renamed Binodini Theatre in honour of the iconic actress Noti Binodini.

“You have all heard the name of Star Theatre in Kolkata. I have already spoken to Kolkata Mayor. We have decided to name Star Theatre as Binodini Theatre. It is a mark of respect for our mothers and sisters,” Banerjee said at a state government distribution programme at Sandeshkhali.

The original Star Theatre that opened in 1873 on Beadon Street does not exist anymore. It was razed when Central Avenue was constructed in the mid-1920s.

Girish Chandra Ghosh, known for his skills in playwriting and direction created a strong group of theatre workers that included Binodini Dasi, Amritalal Mitra, Aghornath Pathak, Kadambini and Upendranath Mitra, to name a few.

Soon, they got a young Marwari investor named Babu Goormookh Roy, who negotiated with Binodini to be his exclusive consort and invested Rs 50,000 in establishing a new playhouse. A plot owned by Kirti Chandra Mitra at 68, Beadon Street, was leased and Star Theatre was built in 1883. Initially, it was decided that the theatre would be named after Binodini herself, but considering her social status as a girl from a red-light area the name was changed to Star.

Star, as a new playhouse, was a smash hit from ‘Day One’, thanks to the Girish-Binodini partnership on stage.

Star was gutted in October 1991 and closed for a few years. Later, the state government rebuilt the same, retaining its heritage look.

The Star, in its new avatar, was opened in 2005 and it presently houses a cinema, a theatre stage, an open-air ampi-theatre, a lounge, a café, an exhibition hall etc. It is a complete entertainment zone now. The name of Star Theatre in the name of Binodini is a tribute acknowledging her role in its foundation.