Molina Devi (1917 — 13 August 1977), also known as Molina Debi and Malina Debi, was an Indian Bengali actress of Bengali and Hindi film and theatre. As an actress, she played a wide variety of parts, later frequently playing matronly parts, especially Rani Rashmoni, patroness of the 19th century Bengali mystic Sri Ramakrishna. She acted in several dozen films, mostly in Bengali and Hindi. With actor Gurudas Banerjee, she also directed a Calcutta-based theatre troupe, M. G. Enterprises.<ref name=calcutheaters></ref>
Early life Molina Devi was born on 13 August 1917 in Calcutta.
Career Molina Devi started her career as trainee under Aparesh Chandra Mukhopadhyay. She debuted in a silent film at the age of 8. Thereafter worked as dancer in mythological and historical plays in the Bengali theatre in the 1920s, and later sometimes played roles as a young boy, such as the role of Dara in Jahangir (1929), and later played roles as a heroine. She also performed some memorable roles in Hindi films. She took various roles, even vamps in her early career such as in Pramathesh Barua's Rajat Jayanti in 1939.
In 1954 she got a break through in Puran Bhagat and in 1955, Molina played the title role in the film Rani Rasmani. She also directed a Kolkata based theatre troupe, M. G. Enterprises. Molina worked in Rangana theatre as chief artist. She performed as a singer on radio and contributed for formation of Mahila Silpi Mahal, a welfare association for female artists of Bengal. For her contribution in the field of drama, she receives the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award.
Molina Devi and actor Gurudas Banerjee together they operated their own touring theatre, M. G. Enterprises, which "specialized in commercial productions of devotional drama" in which Banerjee played the role of Sri Ramakrishna and other holy men."
Molina Devi died on 13 August 1977 in Kolkata.
Roles Molina Devi acted in a variety of roles, many times as Rani Rashmoni, which she played on both stage and in film.
From the 1950s through the 1970s, Molina Devi commonly portrayed Rani Rashmoni in the Bengali Theatre and films.
Sushil Mukherjee explains that the drama Jugadevata, which debuted on the Calcutta stage on 19 November 1948,
Films in which Molina Devi played the role of Rani Rashmoni included Rani Rashmoni (1955). Theatrical plays in which she played Rani Rashmoni included Jugadebata (1948) and Thakur Sri Ramakrishna (1955).
Reception According to Sushil Mukherjee, in the many screen and stage appearances since 1948 in which Molina Devi and Gurudas Banerjee have played Rani Rashmoni and Ramakrishna Dev together, they "have carried the audience with them in every performance."
In 1966, The Illustrated Weekly of India mentioned Molina Devi's troupe's performance in a review of the 1965-66 theatre season in Delhi. The Weekly stated that
Theatre roles The following table partially chronicles Molina Devi's stage career. It is not complete. Opening date Title Role LocationCalcutta unless otherwise specified Playwright Director Notes and other cast 19 Nov. 1948 Jugadebata Rani Rashmoni Kalika Theatre Tarak Mukherjee Source; Also Gurudas Banerjee (Sri Ramakrishna) 1955 Thakur Sri Ramakrishna Rani Rashmoni Minerva Theatre Source; Also Gurudas Banerjee (Sri Ramakrishna). Part of a state Congress celebration
Film roles Roles and details of selected films of Molina Devi appear in the table below.Information in the table of selected films is derived, as noted in the final column, from film entries in YouTube, or CITWF. Films known to be dubbed versions of other films have not been listed. Any films known to be multilinguals (separately filmed in multiple languages) are explicitly noted as multilinguals.At present, no pairs of films listed in the table are known to be multilinguals; however, this category has been added for clarify, and to accommodate possible additional information (12 Feb 2013)
Year Film title Molina Role Film director Notes & Sources(DB=data base) 1950 Vidyasagar (1950 film) ? Kali Prasad Ghosh Bengali; Sources: DBs,CITWFYOUTUBE (2:06:46) otherThe actor appearing as Sri Ramakrishna in the last two minutes of Vidyasagar (1950) is readily identifiable as the same as the actor appearing in the role of Sri Ramakrishna in Mahakavi Girish Chandra (1956), as viewable in the State Awards for Mils Programme (1956) (page 9) (accessed 12 Feb 2013). Gurudas Banerjee as Sri Ramakrishna 1952 Vidyasagar ? Kali Prasad Ghosh Hindi; Sources: DBsCITWF 1955 Rani Rashmoni Rani Rashmoni Kali Prasad Ghosh Bengali; Sources: DBsCITWF Gurudas Banerjee as Sri Ramakrishna 1958 Sadhak Bamakhyapa ? Banshi Ash Bengali; Sources: DBsCITWF Gurudas Banerjee as Sadhak BamakhyapaYOUTUBE (Part 1) (Part 2) (Gurudas Banerjee is credited as portraying Sadhak Bamakhyapa at 1:06 in video) 1956 Mahakavi Girish Chandra ? Madhu Bose Bengali; Sources: DBsCITWF Pahadi Sanyal as Girish Chandra Ghosh. The film won a 1956 Certificate of Merit.State Awards for Mils Programme (1956) (page 8). (accessed 12 Feb 2013) Gurudas Banerjee as Sri Ramakrishna 1964 Bireswar Vivekananda ? Madhu Bose Bengali; Sources: DBsCITWFYOUTUBE (Part 1 (1:05:49), Part 2 (1:04:16) no subtitles) Amaresh Das as Vivekananda, Gurudas Banerjee as Sri Ramakrishna
Partial filmography Srikanta (1930) Chirakumar Sabha (1932) Kapalkundala (1933) Rajrani Meera (1933) Puran Bhagat (film) (1933) Dulari Bibi (1933) Abhagin (1938) Manzil (1936) Karodpati (1936) Bardidi (1939) Rajat Jayanti (1939) Banglar Meye (1941) Matir Ghar (1944) Mane Na Mana (1945) Nandita (1945) Arabian Nights (1946) Ramer Sumati (1947) Srinkhal (1947) Shesh Nibedan (1948) Vidyasgar (1950) Baikunther Will (1950) Sharey Chuattor (1953) Saat Number Kayedi (1953) Nabin Jatra (1953) Annapurnar Mandir (1954) Ora Thake Odhare (1954) Mantra Shakti (1954) Rani Rasmani (1955) Mahakavi Girish Chandra (1956) Ekti Raat (1956) Nilachaley Mahaprabhu (1957) Sree Sree Maa (1958) Indranath Srikanta O Annadadidi (1959) "Jug Devata" (1960) Saat Paake Bandha (1963) Bireswar Vivekananda (1964) Rup Sanatan (1965) Bon Palashir Padabali (1973) Debi Choudhrani (1974) Fuleswari (1974) Moyna (1978)
Notes
References
External links
Molina Devi at CITWF