Shreya Ghoshal’s song Kanha from the upcoming film Binodini — Ekti Natir Upakhyan was launched at Ahindra Mancha in Chetla on January 8. The song sequence in the film features Rukmini Maitra — essaying the role of Nati Binodini — engage in a beautiful Kathak performance, highlighting an important aspect of the legendary actress’s life: her talent in classical music and dance. The song itself, composed by Sourendo-Soumyojit and written by Ram Kamal Mukherjee, who also directs the film, depicts the timeless yet complex relationship between Radha and Krishna. Sung from the perspective of Radha, Ghoshal’s beautiful voice takes us through the former’s pain and disappointment at Kanha’s actions — yet there is a deep, tremendous longing for Krishna that also co-exists, painting a remarkable spectrum of the contrasting sensibilities of both the human heart and the nature of romantic love. When it comes to the story itself, the song hints at a layer of the narrative that the film might shed better light on: the romantic turmoils that Binodini herself might have had to face in her life.
Present at the launch were some of the cast and crew of the film, including Mukherjee, Sourendro-Soumyojit, Mir, and Kaushik Ganguly. Also present were the choreographers of the song as well as the background dancers, who portray Radha’s sakhis in the segment.
The launch opened with a short skit presented by Garia Bengal Dramabaaz that depicted Binodini in conversation with playwright Girish Chandra Ghosh about the naming of what was formerly known as Star Theatre, originally constructed to be named after Binodini but only very recently re-christened after her. Following the skit, Maitra put on her Kathak shoes and performed part of the song on stage, after which the sequence from the film was shown to the audience.
Speaking at the launch, Mukherjee said, “History does not adequately record the relationship between Binodini and her guru Girish Ghosh, who had promised her that there would be a theatre named after her in the heart of Calcutta. Her journey towards becoming Binodini is what we have wanted to portray in the film. Binodini was and continues to be known as Binodini Dasi, but in my film, we have deliberately chosen to depict her simply as Binodini. That is how I see her and will continue to see her.”
Kaushik Ganguly, who plays Girish Ghosh in the film, added, “This is a happy day for the team, who have worked tirelessly to bring this film to life, and especially for Rukmini, who has managed to capture the spirit and essence of Binodini beautifully. She gave herself to the role entirely. Playing iconic characters always comes with a heavy load and these characters are always associated with various different kinds of interpretations, stories and beliefs. To me, playing the character of Girish Ghosh was very difficult since he was a very complex character to portray. We stand here today nearly a century and a half after Binodini Theatre was established, and I could not be more humbled or enriched.”
Similarly, Mir, who essays the role of Gurmukh Rai in the film, said, “This song is a dream that Binodini saw first, and which later many others saw too: people who stepped out of the shadows to finally hold up their craft to the world. The conviction that Ram Kamal has shown in steering and bringing forward his film will soon be evident to audiences. The day the film is being released is already special to me because it is my daughter’s birthday, and I never work on that day. I will not be working this year either, because when I finally watch this film on the big screen, it will be an honour and not work at all. I’d like to congratulate and thank Ram Kamal, Rukmini, and of course Sourendro-Soumyojit for the song. My heart is filled with pride today, and I hope this story and this film will inspire many.”
Composers Sourendro Mullick and Soumyojit Das also shared their thoughts on the song. “We have been making music for 20 years but it took a long time for the doors of Bengali cinema to finally open for us,” Soumyojit said. “But the wait was worth it because what an entry! This film is a celebration of the life of one of Bengal’s most iconic artistes, and that we had the chance to tell a story through a song in this celebration is to us an opportunity that we never once took for granted. There was a huge transition in the life of Nati Binodini before and after her showcase of this song to Gurmukh Rai, and we have tried to bring that forth through the song as well. The psyche between Radha and Krishna is reflected in the song. We also had the chance to make Bengali music in a space like this after a very long time, which means a lot to us because Bengali music has always been a doorway to the music of the world.”
Sourendro added, “People have asked us, why include a Hindi song in a Bengali film? We would like to address this publicly too. Cinema has a language of its own and the way Ramda has upheld his cinematography and screenplay will show you that it has its own perspective. We see the film through his eyes and hold that perspective up for the audience to see. Language has never been a barrier to art. We have tried to tell our story transcending all those obstacles. The soundscape of the song includes traditional Kathak bols as well as Western orchestration and we hope everyone gives it a lot of love.”
Rukmini, of course, had a lot to say about the song and the film as well. “This song is not about the sacrifice that Binodini makes,” she said. “She thought she was sacrificing herself for theatre just as much as the theatre owners were sacrificing her. That was the condition of her life. I’m very grateful to be there today, I never thought I would ever be able to share screen with stalwarts like Kaushik Ganguly, Mir and Rahul Bose, and the way everyone helped me during shooting is something I will never forget. Sourendro-Soumyojit are masters in what they do and they have been next to me like a rock this entire time. I must also thank my (dance) guru Manisha Basu… and this is probably the first time that a Bengali film has a song that has involved three choreographers who I must mention – Souvik Chakraborty and Avyaan Roy, who alongside Manisha, were indispensable to the choreography. And I must not forget my lovely background dancers, the girls who have been the backbone of it all and have given themselves tirelessly to the song.”
Shreya Ghoshal later added, “This classical composition by Sourendro-Soumyojit took me to the world of Hindustani sangeet. I still remember that we were recording in Mumbai at Yash Raj Studios, and Ram Kamal was shooting in Calcutta. After the recording, when I asked who had penned the lyrics, Sourendro-Soumyojit mentioned that Ram dada had written it. Binodini Dasi is an iconic character who stood against patriarchal society almost 150 years ago. She is worshipped as the goddess of theatre and was blessed by Sri Ramkrishna for her acting skills. My best wishes to Rukmini Maitra for playing Binodini and making this song look so elegant.”