Book review: Chapal Bhaduri’s life as a ‘Rani’ of Bengali jatra

Sandip Roy’s new book delves into the life of Chapal Bhaduri, known as Chapal Rani, a celebrated female impersonator within the Bengali folk jatra performance tradition. The work navigates Bhaduri's dual existence, portraying his life as a poignant balance between his public persona as a successful artist and his private identity as a homosexual man in a society that often struggled with gender fluidity.

The book's introduction, while perhaps not groundbreaking for theatre scholars, serves as an accessible entry point for readers unfamiliar with jatra or Bhaduri's unique story. It incorporates academic and popular writings on the subject, alongside interviews with notable figures such as scholars Samik Bandyopadhyay and Ananda Lal, and filmmaker Kaushik Ganguly, whose 2010 film was loosely inspired by Bhaduri's life.

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captures this lived world of female impersonators of jatra not as exotica, but rather as a poignant tale of a journey balancing the public life of a successful artist and the private life of a homosexual man finding his place in a conservative society.

Jatra, a traditional Bengali folk performance form dating back to the 16th century, evolved from narrative poems to a vibrant theatrical style by the late 19th century. It became a popular secular medium in the 20th century, addressing themes of nationalism, social issues, and rebellion through artists like Mukunda Das and Utpal Dutt.

Roy’s work also aims to dismantle the conventional narrative of queer men in 20th-century Bengal. The book suggests that an explicit "coming out" moment is not always necessary, and individuals need not conform to labels like gay, hijra, or queer to live authentically. It highlights that the challenges faced by a motherless child, for instance, may not solely stem from sexual identity struggles within the family. Chapal Rani himself comes from a distinguished artistic lineage, being the youngest son of Prabha Devi, a doyenne of Bengali theatre, and Taracharan Bhaduri, who was involved with Srirangam Theatre.

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Roy explains that there need not be an essential ‘coming out’ moment, that a non-binary man need not own up any of the labels – gay, hijra, queer – and yet live and love on his own terms, that the sadness of a motherless child need not be about the difficulties of sexual identity within the family life.