তিনকড়ি ও বিনোদিনী দাসীর অভিনয় : রূপ ও রীতি / The acting of Tinkari and Binodini Dasi : Form and style

Abstract

When Gerasim Lebedev first introduced Bengali theatrical performances in the nineteenth century, women also acted on stage. After the establishment of the National Theatre in 1872, women did not perform on stage for a long time. During this period, Michael Madhusudan Dutt and Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar were shaping the world of theatre. While Madhusudan Dutt supported the idea of ​​women acting on stage, Vidyasagar could not endorse it, because at that time, women from respectable families did not participate in theatrical performances. Actresses had to be brought in from brothels. Vidyasagar could not support the idea of ​​women playing female roles in plays, fearing that the sanctity of the theatrical stage would be compromised if such women were involved. However, audiences only attended plays when there were female actresses; otherwise, the halls remained empty.  Therefore, out of necessity, directors began giving opportunities to actresses. And in this way, one by one, women from the red-light areas started acting in plays, learning to live a new life, free from their abhorrent past. Of the two actresses discussed in the present article, Tinkari entered the world of acting at her mother's behest. Her mother brought her to the theatre stage to rescue her from a life of hardship. From there, she never had to look back, continuing her acting education throughout her life as a devoted student of Girish Ghosh. The other actress, Binodini Dasi, also came from a red-light area and entered the acting profession, both of them quickly became renowned. At that time, although foreign styles were followed in stage performances, the plays themselves were chosen based on stories from Sanskrit literature and mythology. Hints of how their acting style and methods-maintained consistency with the grammar of acting in our indigenous dramatic tradition can be found in their memoirs. In the Natyashastra (treatise on dramaturgy), acting is divided into four categories: Angika (physical expression), Vachika (verbal expression), Sattvika (emotional expression), and Aharya (costume and makeup). A performance becomes complete and perfect through the combination of gestures, vocal intonation, and stage design – all working together. However, the best of all is ‘Sattvika’ acting (acting based on inner emotions and feelings). This article discusses how the actresses of that era, following their guru Girish Ghosh, progressed from the level of physical acting to reaching the pinnacle of self-improvement in their craft.