Birpurush is a 2010 Bengali drama [1] staged by Kolkata based theatre group Swapnasandhani and directed by Kaushik Sen. [2] [3]
The drama is inspired by Rabindranath Tagore's poem Birpurush, it was not a children's play (though it was misinterpreted like that). The play had some amount of violence in it. The story was based on contemporary social and political condition of West Bengal. [2] A wounded soldier and a Maoist get trapped in a forest and there they both claim to be Birpurush (brave man). [4] There were some characters like 'Kishen Kanhaiya', 'Buddhadesh' and 'Monmohinidesh' which mocked real life personalities. In this play Kaushik Sen acted as himself and it is a self-critical character. [2]
Sharmila Tagore also known by her married name as Begum Ayesha Sultana is an Indian actress primarily known for her work in Hindi and Bengali films. Regarded among the greatest actresses in the history of Indian cinema, Tagore is a recipient of two National Film Awards, a Filmfare Award and the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award for her contributions to Hindi cinema. In 2013, the Government of India, honoured her with Padma Bhushan, India's third highest civilian honour for her contributions to Indian culture through performing arts.
Rabindra Sangeet, also known as Tagore Songs, are songs from the Indian subcontinent written and composed by the Bengali polymath Rabindranath Tagore, winner of the 1913 Nobel Prize in Literature, the first Indian and also the first non-European to receive such recognition. Tagore was a prolific composer with approximately 2,232 songs to his credit. The songs have distinctive characteristics in the music of Bengal, popular in India and Bangladesh.
Charulata is a 1964 Indian drama film written and directed by Satyajit Ray. Based upon the novel Nastanirh by Rabindranath Tagore, it stars Soumitra Chatterjee, Madhabi Mukherjee and Sailen Mukherjee. The film is considered one of the finest works of Ray and is often featured in the lists of the greatest films ever made.
Rabindranath Tagore was a Bengali poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer, and painter of the Bengal Renaissance. He reshaped Bengali literature and music as well as Indian art with Contextual Modernism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Author of the "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful" poetry of Gitanjali, in 1913 Tagore became the first non-European and the first lyricist to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. Tagore's poetic songs were viewed as spiritual and mercurial; where his elegant prose and magical poetry were widely popular in the Indian subcontinent. He was a fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society. Referred to as "the Bard of Bengal", Tagore was known by the sobriquets Gurudeb, Kobiguru, and Biswokobi.
Bengali theatre primarily refers to theatre performed in the Bengali language. Bengali theatre is produced mainly in West Bengal, and in Bangladesh. The term may also refer to some Hindi theatres which are accepted by the Bengali people.
Shesher Kabita is a novel by Rabindranath Tagore. The novel was serialised in 1928, from Bhadra to Choitro in the magazine Probashi, and was published in book form the following year. It has been translated into English as The Last Poem and Farewell song.
Jisshu Sengupta is an Indian actor, producer, television presenter, who predominantly works in Bengali, Hindi and Telugu films alongside a few Kannada films.
Koushik Sen is an Indian actor in film, television, OTT and theatre, based in Kolkata. He is the founder and director of the theatre group Swapnasandhani. He won the Bengal Film Journalists' Association Award for best supporting actor for his performance in the Mrinal Sen directed film Aamar Bhuvan. He was awarded Girish Purashkar 2023 by the Cultural Department of the Government of West Bengal for his extraordinary contributions to theatre. In 2024 he was awarded Telly Academy Best Actor Award for Godhuli Alap series.
Iti Mrinalini is a 2011 Indian drama film directed by Bengali filmmaker Aparna Sen. Sen collaborated with Ranjan Ghosh to write both the story and the screenplay. The film was produced by Shrikant Mohta and Mahendra Soni of Shree Venkatesh Films Pvt Ltd. Some critics consider it to be among her best works, ranking with Mr. and Mrs. Iyer and 36 Chowringhee Lane.
Gaaner Oparey is an Indian Bengali television serial which aired on Star Jalsha from 28 June 2010 to 16 April 2011. This TV musical marked the beginning of a yearlong celebration of the 150th birth anniversary of the great Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore. The concept was a brainchild of the Indian director Rituparno Ghosh. The songs were all popular Rabindra sangeets. Prosenjit Chatterjee launched an audio CD of its tracks on Mahalaya on 12 October 2015. On account of Rabindranath Tagore's 157th birthday, Star Jalsha added Gaaner Oparey on Disney+ Hotstar on 9 May 2018. It was re-aired on Star Jalsha during the 2020 lockdown period, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Swapnasandhani is a Bengali theater group from Kolkata. The group was founded on 29 May 1992. Swapnasandhani has been marked by the acting and direction of Kaushik Sen.
Churni Ganguly is an Indian actress and director who mainly works in Bengali movies and television productions. She received the Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards in 2005 in the best actress category for the movie Waarish, in which she played a single-mother's role. She won two National Film Awards for her directorial ventures Nirbashito and Tarikh.
The group theatre of Kolkata refers to a tradition in theatres in the Indian city Kolkata, which developed in the 1940s as an alternative to entertainment-oriented theatres. As opposed to commercial theatres, group theatre is "a theatre that is not professional or commercial", characterized by its tendency for experimentation in theme, content and production, and its aim of using the proscenium stage to highlight social messages, rather than having primarily making-money objectives.
Riddhi Sen is an Indian film actor who predominantly works in Bengali films along with a few Hindi films. He is the youngest actor in India to receive the National Film Award for Best Actor for his performance in the film Nagarkirtan.
Chitra Mandal Sen is an Indian actress and dancer who works in Bengali language films and television series. She has worked mainly in theatres, but she has also worked in films and on television. She started her career under Jnyanesh Mukhopadhyay. She has also worked with Rabi Ghosh. In Swapnasandhani, she has worked with her son Kaushik Sen.
Charuulata 2011 is a 2012 Bengali film directed by Agnidev Chatterjee. This film is based on Rabindranath Tagore's 1901 novella Nastanirh.
Bisarjan is a 2012 Bengali drama directed by Suman Mukhopadhyay. The play is based on Rabindranath Tagore's Bisarjan (1890).
Atul Prasad Sen was a Bengali composer, lyricist and singer, and also a lawyer, philanthropist, social worker, educationist and writer.
Indrasish Roy is an Indian film and television actor. He played the role of Tintin in serial Gaaner Opare. Later he played the lead role of Chandrakiran Chowdhury, the male protagonist of serial Adwitiya. He debuted in films with Kaushik Ganguly's Rang Milanti. He also won hearts by playing the role of Lalon in Star Jalsha's Dhulokona.
Arpita Ghosh, is an Indian theatre artist and politician who serves as a Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha from West Bengal. She has served as the Member of Parliament of the 16th Lok Sabha for Balurghat, West Bengal. She won the 2014 Indian general election being an All India Trinamool Congress candidate.