Actor Dibyendu Bhattacharya, who played a key role in Rocket Boys 2 on SonyLIV, was recently back in town to receive this year’s Debjit Ghosh Memorial Award at Natyotsab 2023, organised by the theatre group Shailushik Rashbehari, for his contribution to the Indian entertainment arena.

Sharing his delight after receiving the award, Dibyendu walked down memory lane. “It's an absolute honour to revisit your alma mater, that too in your hometown. I have performed theatre with Shailushik Rashbehari since its inception. Circling back to the late 1980s, I was one of the initial members of this theatre group. Back then, we never knew that the group shall go on to redefine art in Kolkata the way it has,” he said.

“I am around for a few days. I plan on meeting my loved ones and spending some quality time with them. Apart from this, I am also here for the post-production requirements of one of my Bengali films,” he added.

Rajatava Dutta inaugurated the two-day theatre festival, which was held in the Rabindra Sadan auditorium on March 25 and 26. Natyotsab 2023 featured theatre performances like Barkatganjer Bakra, written by Padmanabha Dasgupta and directed by Sujoy Chattopadhyay. Other notable performances included popular theatre artistes Goutam Halder, Bindiya Ghosh and Debashish Ray.