Dum Dum Shabdomugdho’s Bel-babu, at Tapan

Dramatist-director Rakesh Ghosh’s new play about the forgotten comedian and female impersonator of the Bengali commercial stage, Amritalal Mukherjee (1854-90). His sensational tragic death occurred on 14 March 1890 when he cut the vein of his hand with a shaving razor after the performance of Girish Chandra Ghosh’s Haranidhi at Star Theatre. Unmarried Bel-babu had a strong feminine self within him, but in the society of that time he had to keep it hidden and was torn apart by terrible mental turmoil. Acting female roles on stage was his only place of liberation.