Dev backs Rukmini Maitra's film as she plays Noti Binodini on the big screen

kolkata: For the past two years, actress Rukmini Maitra has been learning Kathak, reading about Noti Binodini. If the Covid-19 pandemic didn't happen, by now the biopic on the Bengali theatre legend would have been made. However, the hard work paid off when the film, titled 'Binodiini Ekti Natir Upakhyan', directed by Ram Kamal Mukherjee, got a greenlight.

On Teachers' Day on Monday, the makers unveiled the first look of the film, which saw Rukmini as Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, a character that Binodini Dasi played on stage. And what makes the biopic all the more special?

This biography on Bengal's theatre veteran is being presented by actor Dev, and produced by '1770' makers Shhailendra Kkumar, Suraj Sharma and Prateek Chakravorty. Rukmini, who made a mark for herself in the Bengali film industry with her choice of roles, told

Millennium Post  how she shot for the poster of 'Binodiini Ekti Natir Upakhyan' way back in January 2020. "Ram and me have been in talks for the film since December 2019. In fact, I gained weight, started learing Kathak for the character. Nobody not even my mother or Dev knew. But then, pandemic hit us and the film got stuck. Ram had offered me a short film also, but I was keen on Binodini. I trusted him blindly on the subject," said Rukmini, who has been flooded with calls ever since the first look of the film has been out.

When Dev learnt that Rukmini has been preparing for Binodini Dasi for two years, he was inspired. Known for backing 'different' cinema, Dev knew 'Binodiini Ekti Natir Upakhyan' has the heart in the right place.

"Biopics on women characters are rare and Binodini Dasi is a cult figure in Bengali theatre. I have known Ram for more than a decade and I was convinced with his storytelling. Rukmini might have done maximum films with our production house, but we don't back projects based on biasedness. We look for novelty in the subjects," said the actor-politician.

Penned by Priyanka Poddar, the biopic will be shot by Modhura Palit in Bengal and Benaras, and will release next year on 'Poila Baishak.'

Author-filmmaker Ram always wanted to bring the story of Binodini Dasi to the big screen for the Bengali audiences. "I had to struggle for two years to get the budget required to make a musical like this. The only person who stood beside my faith was Rukmini," said Ram, who is also the creator of 1770, based on Bankim Chandra Chatterjee's Bengali novel 'Anandamath.'

Meanwhile, the makers are yet to finalise the casting of key characters like Girish Ghosh, Amritalal, Jyotindrinrath, Ramkrishna, Kumar Bahadur and Ranga Babu.