Molina Devi

Molina Devi was born in 1917 in Calcutta of British India. She is also known as Molina Debi and Malina Debi. She was an Indian actor, appearing mainly in Bengali films and theatre. She was also a striking face in Hindi cinema and theatre. She initiated her career as a child actor in a silent movie when she was only 8 years old. At this time, she was training under Aparesh Chandra Mukhopadhyay. At this point, she indulged in the caricature of the dancing girl in both Bengali and Hindi plays. From here, she also played as a boy in various productions.

In her early career, she explored numerous roles including that of glamourous women and vamps like Barua's ‘Rajat Jayanti’ (1939). This is in stark contrast with the characters that she will later become renowned for. Her breakthrough came with the movie, ‘Puran Bhagat.’ Molina Devi's magnum opus was the role of Rani Rashmoni. Rani Rashmoni was the patroness of the Bengali mystic Sri Ramakrishna Story Soon >> Read More... . She originated this character in the play ‘Jugadevata’ in 1948. She played this role in several projects, both in films and theatre. Some of them are- Rani Rashmoni (film) and Thakur Shri Ramakrishna (theatre).

Devi was also a melodious singer, which she bestowed on the audience in numerous performances and also on the radio. Apart from being a stellar actor, she was also a part of distinct ventures. She acted as the director of a Kolkata-based theatre group- M.G. Enterprises. Devi also endorsed the foundation of Mahila Silpi Mahal. This was an association for female artists in Bengal. She not only funded this association but also staged plays with all women actors.

She tied the knot for the second time with Gurudas Banerjee Gurudas Banerjee, also popularly known as Gurudas >> Read More... , who was also an actor. With him, she supervised a touring theatre that specialized in devotional dramas. Both Molina Devi and Gurudas Banerjee played many roles themselves in these productions. Molina Devi passed away in August 1977 in Kolkata after almost 50 years of brilliance in the entertainment industry. She was an intuitive and spirited actress. She embellished the Bengali industry with her roles and characters. She received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for her contribution to theatre. Some of her outstanding works are- ‘Abhagin’ (1938), ‘Badi Didi’ (1939), ‘Kapa Kundala’ (1933), ‘ Manzil Manzil is an Urdu-language TV series on ARY Digita >> Read More... ’ (1936), ‘Rani Rashmoni’ (1955), and ‘Bireswar Vivekananda’ (1964).