Ram Kamal Mukherjee wins Best Director at SAIFFF 2025 for ‘Binodiini,’ calls it a ‘a delight’
It’s currently the toast of the cinema circuit, making waves pan India. Director Ram Kamal Mukherjee’s debut Bengali feature — “Binodiini- Ek Natir Upakhyan” (The Tale of a Theatre Artist), which released on Jan. 23, is garnering so much love and praise from the film industry as well as the public and critics, for multiple reasons.
Suguna Sundaram
The film is the culmination of a dream Mukherjee has lived with for half a decade, and that took many sacrifices from him, but the result is for the world to see. The best validation he could ask for, and which is justly deserved.
The film is an exercise in aesthetics, and contains a passion touched by a burning fire. Mukherjee, at the helm of this movie in the director’s chair, and actors Rukmini Maitra and Chandan Roy Sanyal talk about this long journey, one that resulted in fulfilling a promise made 141 years ago, finally seeing the light of day. Kolkata’s iconic Star Theatre was at last, renamed Binodini Theatre, duly enabled by the good offices of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of West Bengal, at the urging of Maitra.
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The 151-minute story is produced by Dev Entertainment Ventures and Pramod Films in association with Assorted Motion Pictures. It tells the tale of a fiery protagonist—the most iconic actress in Bengali entertainment history—Binodini, starring Maitra in the titular role.
Alongside her are stalwarts of Bengali cinema playing pivotal characters in that fascinating journey— Kaushik Ganguly as Gautam Ghosh, Rahul Bose as Ranga Babu, Mir Afsar Ali as Gurmukh Rai, Chandan Roy Sanyal as Thakurji (Ramakrishna Paramhansa), Om Sahani as Kumar Bahadur, Chandrayee Ghosh as Ganga Bai (Golap Phool), Gautam Halder as Dasu Neogi, Rupsa Chatterjee as Kanaklata, Tapati Munshi as Binodini’s grandmother, Swati Mukherjee as Binodini’s mother and Ashim Roy Chowdhury as Rasaraj Amritalal.
The tragic yet inspiring story of the theatre actress straddles her life from the age of seven—delightfully brought to life by child artiste Swara Bhattacharya—to 70 years old in the film. Briefly touching some years, and deep delving into the brief 12 years that she seared her way into the theatre scenario, vociferously defying age-old customs, societal traditions and practices, battling caste and character slurs, a fight for women empowerment way back in conventional 19th century Bengal, carving her niche into the very history of Bengal, Binodini was a force to reckon with, a glorious winner and a warrior, in the face of untold disadvantages.
A Hindi biopic on Binodini, starring Kangana Ranaut, was rendered null by the untimely death of filmmaker Pradeep Sarkar in 2023. Mukherjee’s film was shot on recreated locations on sets in Kolkata and portions in Varanasi. The dynamic tech team comprised cinematographer Soumik Halder, music composer duo Sourendro–Soumyojit, who weaved compositions to lyrics penned by Mukherjee himself. The music was released by Saregama Bengali upon completion.
The production design was managed by Tanmay Chakraborty, while the costumes were curated by Suchishmita Dasgupta. The makeup of the times was researched and handled by Bithika Benia, and hair styling was done by Mousami Chhetri. “Binodiini” was released in Kolkata on Jan. 23, Subhash Chandra Bose’s birth anniversary, and a week later, across India. The film received many laudatory reviews, validating Mukherjee’s five-year-long struggle and the passion of the dedicated team of technicians and actors.
To prepare for the role, Maitra learned Indian classical dance and studied several books about women of that era. Maitra said, “I never thought I could fill such big shoes [playing Binodini].”
“As an actor, I am hungry, I am selfish, I am greedy,” Maitra noted.
Director Mukherjee spent two years securing the necessary budget to bring this project to life. He also finalized the film’s title by keeping only the first part of her name, as he wanted to challenge the traditional social structure in Bengal that labeled Brahmins as “Devi” and non-Brahmins as “Dasi.” Mukherjee aimed to remove the term “Dasi” because, to him, she was not just a servant but a star in her own right.
“When I eventually saw this film on big screen, it was a delight,” Mukherjee said.
It has been a long journey for this dream to come true, for Mukherjee and not without its sacrifices. And he must feel vindicated with the stupendous response the film is garnering.
“The journey took a lot of sacrifices because I really wanted to make this film, and making anything that is different and not regular always takes time. That’s why it took five years for me to get this film out. Now people are seeing and appreciating it, but it wasn’t a cakewalk,” Mukherjee said.
Maitra was not exactly on a career high when Mukherjee had offered her the film, an iconic and legendary character to play? What vision provoked that? Talking about his muse, the director shares, “I met Rukmini through a common friend Dev, who is a superstar in Bengal, and we instantly clicked with each other because she is a voracious reader. She reads poetry and understands Gulzar, Rumi, Keats Shelly, Byron, Shakespeare, the classical as well as contemporary literature. So, we connected on books. I wanted to cast her for a Hindi film which didn’t materialize. Later on, when I decided to make “Binodiini,” this biopic, I thought of reconnecting with and working with her because I felt that she had the talent in her, and she could carry a heavyweight role like this because it needed that kind of graph- of a girl from the ages of 7 to 70. It needed that kind of confidence which was important. Rukmini has also supported the film in away I don’t think many actresses would. It wasn’t a very professional approach. It was more of an emotional approach to the film. Even when we didn’t have the producers on board and nothing concrete was in place, she was constantly with me. In the sense it was my dream, but she made that her dream too. So, the fact that she was just two years old in the industry didn’t matter because she was committed to the film, and that was more important for me.”
After an emotional but amazingly well received mini premiere in Mumbai, attended by Hindi film industry bigwigs, Maitra added, “You know, Ram Kamal [Mukherjee] told me, ‘I saw this in you when even you didn’t believe it.’ Projects like these don’t get made unless you have the blessings of the people concerned—like Binodini and Thakurji. It’s a connection, not something else.”
After living with this dream for five years and now reaping the fruit of their hard work, Maitra harks back to the impact of the moment when Mukherjee first reached out to her for the film. “It was silence. You never imagined that you’d get to play the greatest of all Bengali actors across the history of Bengal. I had never dared to dream of it even. Binodini had dared to dream to be the greatest of all times, even that long ago. But Rukmini never thought that she could fill in such big shoes. It was not even a distant dream for me. So, when Ram called me, back in 2019, I was barely 2 years old in the industry, having made my entry in just 2017. When he told me ‘I’m making Binodiini,’ I was ecstatic for him. And he told me, ‘And I’m making it with you as Binodini.’ The only thing that basked in that room at that moment was silence. Because I couldn’t believe it. When I asked him why he thought of casting me, he told me ‘Who else but you?’ And today, after the film has released, he held my hand and said, ‘You know, I saw this in you when even you didn’t believe it.’”
In what could be construed as simply divine inspiration on his part, Mukherjee chose the volatile dynamo Chandan Roy Sanyal, to play the child-like, peace radiating Ramakrishna Paramhansa in a cameo. And which Sanyal played with sheer luminosity, even though it was totally contrary to anything he’s done before. Mukherjee justifies his choice, “Yes, he has mostly played grey or negative characters. But as a maker, I saw the peace and poise in Chandan’s eyes. I could see him fit into the character of Ramakrishna Paramhansa. I went and met him, and of course, he couldn’t see or imagine himself playing Ramakrishna. But I could see, the same thing happened with Mr. G.V. Iyer, when he went and met Mithun Chakraborty to play Ramakrishna in the film Swami Vivekanand (1998). It is always the director who can foresee something that the actor maybe cannot. I knew that we would achieve that with Chandan, who gave his 100%, along with the prosthetic make-up team who worked hard to get this look in place. Chandan’s homework is impeccable and he worked really hard at it too.”
Sanyal himself did not believe he could pull it off, when Mukherjee offered him the role of Ramakrishna Paramhansa. He relives it, “Thakurji, nooo! In 2022, I had been offered the role, and the film was already on its five-year journey. It was taking time. My dad passed away in February 2022 and I got a little disoriented. My mother was thrown off-balance, life became upside-down. A friend of mine showed me the path of spiritualism. And I got a book of Ramakrishna Paramhansa. I was told this book reaches a few people only, and you take a while to finish it. Since childhood, we are all his devotees, and we used to go to the Ramakrishna Mission in Pahadgunj, to the Math. Even now when Swamijis start the evening Arati at 7.00 pm exactly, and I hear the first notes, kuchh ho jaata hai, inside you. It just plays in your head. I grew up with Ramakrishna in my house. I’m also a big Kali bhakt. But as life goes on, one gets distanced from all this. When my dad passed, I started reading him again. I started meditating and that’s when I realized that I’m meant to do this role. I’m not lying, but when I did the role, he was there in me. I became him. (this was something palpable that even as an audience, one experienced when Chandan came on screen). And when you’re on the path of the divine, he is the doer, I’m not. I was chosen by him, and he got me to do it. I was just the medium. As an actor when you get to play and live this character, it’s a different feeling. It’s challenging and daunting but you realize somewhere that a blessing like this doesn’t come twice in your life. From then on, my journey is different. I’m looking at other things in life, and acting is just the journey.”
Technically “Binodiini” is a period film. Mukherjee has captured 19th century Bengal nearly immaculately. He avers, “The research took me a lot of time. And Bhasker Sengupta, Abro Chakrborty and Priyanka Poddar were a part of the entire screenplay dialogue team. We read a lot of books, materials and thesis papers of students, documents were available at the National School of Drama. And many available resources on the period of that era, to figure out social structure, the economic structure, the costumes, what the city looked like. We had to do extensive research and my cinematographer Soumik Halder and my art director Tanmoy Chakraborty, both worked hard in recreating that Bengal era in the film. We had to create the set. Nothing was available. Whatever we had to shoot, everything was created by the art director. That’s why it took time. The post production also took time because the film required heavy VFX work.”
It was a lot to consider but the idea was to create a masterpiece, according to Mukherjee. So how easy or difficult was the actual filming? Mukherjee sighs, “It was very difficult for me to shoot because we didn’t have the infrastructure of old Calcutta. Nowadays the city is modern with all the electrical wires and hoardings and lights around. We couldn’t shoot anywhere in the streets of Calcutta. It wouldn’t match the look and feel. So, everything was recreated, again adding to the time factor. We had to be careful about crowd management because of the technical aspect while making a period film (a film based on a 200-year-old story). You have to be very careful about what you are putting out on screen. That was my concern while I was shooting. I had to constantly alert about what can and can’t be used. There were no brands at that time, and we had to be careful while using some things and showing it on camera. But that was the art department’s major work and Tanmayda worked really hard on it and you can see the results on screen now.”
After such intricate detailed work towards all aspects, perfect casting, great cinematography, and moving music, with a lot of big names thrown in, the end result was bound to be something truly dynamic. Did the outcome match his aesthetic visualization? Mukherjee beams, “I am very happy with the cast. The important characters I had to cast, and I am grateful I got them to work in the film because they are the most proficient actors in Calcutta. They have each carved their niche over the years as performers and won many accolades and awards. I am very grateful they agreed to be a part of my debut directorial Bengali feature film. They are also getting appreciated for their performances and their honesty towards their characters.” Yes, the entire cast was the backbone in furthering Mukherjee’s vision and telling Binodini’s story.
Mukherjee admits, “When you work with proficient professionals, the end result has to be good, unless you don’t have clarity of your own. As a director, I was very specific about what I wanted and what I didn’t want. The brief was very clear and it was easy for my entire team to follow the instructions and get it done. All the departments were very clear about what I wanted. That makes it easier to shoot the film because we also had a budget constraint. We focused more on pre-production, so that we didn’t have issues whilst on the floors. When the film was ready, it took time to finish also due to the soundscape, and the background music. Sourendro-Soumyojit have composed the background music, and Rajat from Calcutta has done the VFX. We were very finicky and particular about the final outcome. Songs were being recorded in Mumbai, mixing was required, with Shreya Goshal and Rekha Bharadwaj. I got busy with my other film, Rukmini was busy with her own film, and Dev was travelling and shooting so he was also busy. We all had our own busy schedules, and while we were working on our next, the post-production team was working hard on getting this film ready. When I eventually saw this film on big screen, it was a delight!”
Mukherjee is already prepping for his next film. Considering the success of “Binodiini,” both, at the box office, as well as with critics and the industry, expectations will now be high, and bigger. Will Ram give himself a break, considering how emotional this film has been for him? But he says, there won’t be a break. He has already started work on his next. “I want to make Draupadi. But the thing is, for a film like that, Binodini needs to work for me to get the funding for Draupadi. It needs a much bigger budget. It is the Mahabharat from Draupadi’s point of view (another female take). But the kind of resources required is immense. For Binodini, the love and appreciation required is unprecedented. If this film works, many filmmakers will be able to fulfill their dream and make all those stories from history which we have stopped making.”
As Maitra recalls her emotional journey, she feels, “The very first accomplishment to have made this film and then despite struggles and hurdles, to make sure it reached the audiences. Because it really does take a lot to make a woman-oriented film at the budget of a hero. That is why we had a five-year long struggle. It’s a man’s world and we all know it. But with the release, I feel we are getting there. Slowly, but steadily. It’s a great honor, you know, for five years having someone tell me that this should be your dream, living with that dream and finally taking it to the people. And when the stalwarts tell you that the industry is lauding your performance, that they’re loving the film, it feels great.” As she says, the viewers can see the progression of that fact of living with dream in Rukmini’s performance arc on screen as she lives the various stages of her character. Tentative first, then confident, and then finally coming into her own in the second half of the film. An extension of her own self. Mukherjee’s film was an evolution as much for Maitra as it was for Binodini.
The beautiful Maitra continues, “As an actress I should just say thank you, and be grateful, because I believe I’m incredibly lucky to be that. I am counting my blessings. The moral of the story is that hard work always pays off. I was also new one day, and I was given a chance once. The first timers are always so passionate, they always take you 10 steps ahead I feel. Somebody who needs that push has a different fire in them. RamKamal had it, and that is something I try and keep alive in me throughout. I think this film has given not only to Rukmini, but it has given hope to many girls, not just actresses but other girls, who long for a way of expression, who are looking for that silver lining, that salvation. What an amazing mind Binodini had, in 10thcentury Calcutta. So yes, this movie is about hope. As an actor, I am hungry, I am selfish, I am greedy, and I want my work, my talent, my craft to travel across borders. Cinema transcends borders, it’s just the emotions. That’s why I say, Binodiini is not only a film, it’s not just an emotion, it’s a movement. Towards a newer world for women. It is a movement that has been and will be carried across centuries.”
