Keya Chakraborty - A Dramatic Life Led

Keya Chakraborty (1942-1977) was one of the brightest stars in Bengali Theatre (during the 60s and 70s) who also was one of the very few women stalwarts in the performance space. Her sudden and untimely death while shooting a film was one of the most controversial events in the theatre circuit which attracted several eyeballs.

She was the leading lady of Theatre Group, Nandikar founded by Ajitesh Bandopadhyay and appeared in some of their famous plays such as Tin Poisar Pala, Bhalomanush (Bengali versions of Brecht’s Threepenny Opera and Good Person of Szechwan) and the Bengali rendition of Antigone.

This study explores the uniqueness of her personality as a theatre practitioner and how she always conquered the centre stage owing to a rare ability to portray a wide range of characters and justify each one of them with her deft skills and unforgettable charisma. It also delves into her feminist ideologies which made her a strong advocate of women rights and the manner in which she took the stage by storm when women performers still faced taboo on a significant scale.