Krishnendu Adhikari (
Bengali
Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to:
*something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia
* Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region
* Bengali language, the language they speak
** Bengali alphabet, the ...
: কৃষ্ণেন্দু অধিকারী; born: 2 January 1982) is an Indian actor, director and producer who primarily works in
Bengali theatre
Bengali theatre primarily refers to theatre performed in the Bengali language. Bengali theatre is produced mainly in West Bengal, and in Bangladesh. The term may also refer to some Hindi theatres which are accepted by the Bengali people.
Be ...
and the
Bengali Film Industry
Tollywood, also known as Cinema of West Bengal, is an Indian film industry of Bengali-language motion pictures. It is based in the Tollygunge region of Kolkata, West Bengal, India. The origins of the nickname Tollywood, a portmanteau of the w ...
. He co-founded the
Kolkata
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...
-based performance collective Behala Project Prometheus in 2016. He is dedicated towards revitalizing political and movement-based theatre in India.
Biography
Born in
Tamluk
Tamluk () is a town and a municipality in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Purba Medinipur district. Though there is some controversy, scholars have generally agreed that present-day Tamluk is the site of the an ...
,
West Bengal
West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the four ...
, Adhikari is the youngest of three siblings. He completed his Bachelors in English literature from
Midnapore College
Midnapore College, established in 1873, is the oldest college in Midnapore, in the Paschim Medinipur district of West Bengal. It offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses in arts and sciences. It is affiliated to Vidyasagar University. ...
,
West Bengal
West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the four ...
. In 2012, Adhikari began his creative journey as ensemble actor and professional photographer with the Rang Roop theatre group in
Kolkata
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...
, India. Over the course of the next five years, he received intensive training in physical/vocal acting, body awareness and kinesthetics under the tutelage of Indian performance stalwarts Sima Mukhopadhyay and Vikram Iyengar. Adhikari also learned the
Tamil martial art
Indian martial arts refers to the fighting systems of the Indian subcontinent. A variety of terms are used for the English phrases “Indian martial arts”, deriving from ancient sources. While they may seem to imply specific disciplines (e.g. ...
Kalaripayattu
Kalaripayattu (; also known simply as Kalari) is an Indian martial art that originated in modern-day Kerala, a state on the southwestern coast of India. Kalaripayattu is known for its long-standing history within Indian martial arts, and i ...
under the able guidance of Indian facilitator Arka Mukhopadhyay.
In 2016, Adhikari participated in the prestigious
Bharat Rang Mahotsav
Bharat Rang Mahotsav (BRM) (भारत रंग महोत्सव) or the National Theatre Festival, started in 1999, is the annual theatre festival organised by National School of Drama (NSD), New Delhi. The festival was started to showcas ...
theatre festival in
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders wi ...
, India, as actor and production manager in ''Rajar Mrityu'' (
Bengali
Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to:
*something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia
* Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region
* Bengali language, the language they speak
** Bengali alphabet, the ...
: রাজার মৃত্যু; directed by
Sudipto Chatterjee
Sudipto Chatterjee ( bn, সুদীপ্ত চট্টোপাধ্যায়; born: 26 July 1964) is an Indian performance scholar actor, playwright and poet of Bengali descent.
Chatterjee's His solo performance ''Man of the Heart'', ...
) and ''Raajrokto'' (
Bengali
Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to:
*something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia
* Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region
* Bengali language, the language they speak
** Bengali alphabet, the ...
: রাজরক্ত, directed by Debasish Dutta). In the same year, Adhikari had his breakthrough moment as a theatre actor with two concurrent and widely appreciated
Bengali
Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to:
*something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia
* Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region
* Bengali language, the language they speak
** Bengali alphabet, the ...
productions - ''Ags'uddhi'' (
Bengali
Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to:
*something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia
* Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region
* Bengali language, the language they speak
** Bengali alphabet, the ...
: আগশুদ্ধি; adapted from the
Arthur Miller
Arthur Asher Miller (October 17, 1915 – February 10, 2005) was an American playwright, essayist and screenwriter in the 20th-century American theater. Among his most popular plays are ''All My Sons'' (1947), ''Death of a Salesman'' (19 ...
play ''
The Crucible
''The Crucible'' is a 1953 play by American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a dramatized and partially fictionalized story of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Massachusetts Bay Colony during 1692–93. Miller wrote the play as an ...
''; directed by
Sudipto Chatterjee
Sudipto Chatterjee ( bn, সুদীপ্ত চট্টোপাধ্যায়; born: 26 July 1964) is an Indian performance scholar actor, playwright and poet of Bengali descent.
Chatterjee's His solo performance ''Man of the Heart'', ...
) and ''Indur O Manush'' (
Bengali
Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to:
*something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia
* Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region
* Bengali language, the language they speak
** Bengali alphabet, the ...
: ইঁদুর ও মানুষ; adapted from the
John Steinbeck novel ''
Of Mice and Men
''Of Mice and Men'' is a novella written by John Steinbeck. Published in 1937, it narrates the experiences of George Milton and Lennie Small, two displaced migrant ranch workers, who move from place to place in California in search of new job ...
''; directed by Debasis Biswas). Adhikari's portrayal of Chhotu Mandi (
Bengali
Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to:
*something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia
* Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region
* Bengali language, the language they speak
** Bengali alphabet, the ...
: ছোটু মান্ডি), the lead character in ''Ags'uddhi'', received particular critical acclaim. Later, in 2018, Adhikari headlined a theatrical production titled ''Mrityusangbad'' (
Bengali
Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to:
*something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia
* Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region
* Bengali language, the language they speak
** Bengali alphabet, the ...
: মৃত্যুসংবাদ; a play by
Mohit Chattopadhyay
Mohit Chattopadhyaya (also spelled Mohit Chattopadhyay) (1 June 1934 – 12 April 2012) was a Bengali Indian playwright, screenwriter, dramatist and poet. He was a leading figure in modern Indian drama. Mohit Chottopadhya died on 12 April 2012. ...
, directed by Partha Sarathi Raha). Having earned significant praise for his portrayal of the "Stranger", Adhikari and team travelled to
Mysore
Mysore (), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. Mysore city is geographically located between 12° 18′ 26″ north latitude and 76° 38′ 59″ east longitude. It is located at an altitude of ...
, India with ''Mrityusangbad'' as part of the 20th
Bharat Rang Mahotsav
Bharat Rang Mahotsav (BRM) (भारत रंग महोत्सव) or the National Theatre Festival, started in 1999, is the annual theatre festival organised by National School of Drama (NSD), New Delhi. The festival was started to showcas ...
festival in 2019.
In 2016, Adhikari co-founded his own performance company - Behala Project Prometheus - with professional associate Indudipa Sinha, with an aim to rejuvenate and redefine creative expression in political and movement-based theatre in India. It was early 2017 when Adhikari and the company premiered their magnum opus ''Code Red'' - a theatre and dance presentation, adapted from
Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore (; bn, রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer and painter. He resh ...
's poem ''Sishutirtha'' (
Bengali
Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to:
*something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia
* Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region
* Bengali language, the language they speak
** Bengali alphabet, the ...
: শিশুতীর্থ ), and directed by Sinha. Adhikari served as ensemble member, production manager, and assistant director to this critically hailed production, which travelled nationally as part of the 8th Theatre Olympics in
Bhopal
Bhopal (; ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and the administrative headquarters of both Bhopal district and Bhopal division. It is known as the ''City of Lakes'' due to its various natural and artificial lakes. It ...
, India (2018) and the fifth C.G.K. Rashtriya Rangothsava in
Bengaluru
Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...
, India (2018).
Adhikari had his directorial debut at the
Short and Sweet theatre festival in
Kolkata
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...
in 2015 with a ten-minute play titled ''One Two Three.''
In 2016, Adhikari had his maiden silver screen venture as an actor in the critically acclaimed
Bengali
Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to:
*something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia
* Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region
* Bengali language, the language they speak
** Bengali alphabet, the ...
film ''Tope - The Bait'', directed by
Buddhadeb Dasgupta
Buddhadeb Dasgupta (11 February 1944 – 10 June 2021) was an Indian filmmaker and poet best known for his Bengali-language films like ''Bagh Bahadur'', ''Tahader Katha'', ''Charachar'' and '' Uttara''. Five of his films have won the National ...
, which travelled to the Toronto International Film Festival, the 60th BFI London Film Festival, and the 21st Busan International Film Festival. In 2017, Adhikari had his debut in the commercial Bengali Film Industry as a supporting character in
Birsa Dasgupta
Birsa Dasgupta (born 2 November 1979) is an Indian Bengali film director based in Tollywood.He is well known for directing films such as Shudhu Tomari Jonyo, Gangster,
Psycho (2021 film)
Early life
Born in Kolkata, his grandfather was no ...
's
''One''. Adhikari has also featured in independent Bengali short films, notable among which are ''Niruddesh/Adrift'' (
Bengali
Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to:
*something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia
* Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region
* Bengali language, the language they speak
** Bengali alphabet, the ...
: নিরুদ্দেশ; directed by Saptarshi Bhattacharya) and ''Banshi'' (
Bengali
Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to:
*something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia
* Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region
* Bengali language, the language they speak
** Bengali alphabet, the ...
: বাঁশি; directed by Kaushik Sengupta). In 2018, ''Niruddesh/Adrift'', with Adikari in the lead, was selected and screened as part of the
Hyderabad Bengali Film Festival
Hyderabad Bengali Film Festival (HBFF) is a Bengali film festival in the city of Hyderabad and is being organized annually since 2014. The venue of the festival is the Prasad Film Preview Labs, Hyderabad (adjacent to L V Prasad Eye Institute). ...
in
Hyderabad
Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...
, India, the India Shorts Competition organised by the 9th
Jagran Film Festival Jagran Film Festival (JFF) is perhaps the world's largest travelling film festival rooted in India, conducted since 2010. The festival is a Jagran Prakashan Group initiative aimed at promoting the appreciation of the cinematic art beyond the major m ...
in
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders wi ...
, India, and an international screening organised by The Tannenbusch House in
Bonn
The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ru ...
, Germany. In 2019, ''Niruddesh/Adrift'' was selected to be screened as part of the Second
South Asian Short Film Festival
South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west.
Etymology
The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*su ...
in
Kolkata
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...
, India.
Adhikari, along with Behala Project Prometheus, premiered a Bengali theatre production in 2018 titled ''Jara Jege Thake'' (
Bengali
Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to:
*something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia
* Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region
* Bengali language, the language they speak
** Bengali alphabet, the ...
: যারা জেগে থাকে), with allegorical references to the present political climate in West Bengal and India.
In 2019, Adhikari starred in the first installment of a Bengali web series titled ''The Senapatis'' as sub-inspector G. R. Neogi on the Indian web entertainment platform
Addatimes
Addatimes is an Indian on-demand video streaming platform, owned and maintained by Addatimes Media Private Limited, launched on 15 June 2016.
Content
Addatimes has offerings catering specifically to the Bengali audience by creating Original ...
.
Plays
*"... O Onyanya Kuyasha" (
Bengali
Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to:
*something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia
* Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region
* Bengali language, the language they speak
** Bengali alphabet, the ...
: ... ও অন্যান্য কুয়াশা)
ead performer premiered in 2022
*''Anandamath'' (
Bengali
Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to:
*something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia
* Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region
* Bengali language, the language they speak
** Bengali alphabet, the ...
: আনন্দমঠ)
ead performer premiered in 2018
*''Jara Jege Thake'' (
Bengali
Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to:
*something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia
* Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region
* Bengali language, the language they speak
** Bengali alphabet, the ...
: যারা জেগে থাকে) [Lead performer and producer with Behala Project Prometheus, premiered in 2018
*''Mrityusangbad'' (
Bengali
Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to:
*something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia
* Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region
* Bengali language, the language they speak
** Bengali alphabet, the ...
: মৃত্যুসংবাদ)
ead performer premiered in 2018
*''Ekti Shohoj Khuner Golpo'' (
Bengali
Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to:
*something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia
* Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region
* Bengali language, the language they speak
** Bengali alphabet, the ...
: একটি সহজ খুনের গল্প) [Lead performer and producer with Behala Project Prometheus, premiered in 2017
*''Code Red'' [Ensemble/lead performer, production manager, and assistant director with Behala Project Prometheus, premiered in 2017
*''Indur O Manush'' (
Bengali
Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to:
*something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia
* Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region
* Bengali language, the language they speak
** Bengali alphabet, the ...
: ইঁদুর ও মানুষ)
erformer premiered in 2016
*''Ags'uddhi'' (
Bengali
Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to:
*something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia
* Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region
* Bengali language, the language they speak
** Bengali alphabet, the ...
: আগশুদ্ধি)
ead performer premiered in 2016
*''Ordhek Jeebon'' (
Bengali
Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to:
*something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia
* Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region
* Bengali language, the language they speak
** Bengali alphabet, the ...
: অর্ধেক জীবন) [Lead performer and producer with Behala Project Prometheus, premiered in 2016
*''Page Four/4''
ead performer premiered in 2016
*''Rajar Mrityu'' (
Bengali
Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to:
*something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia
* Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region
* Bengali language, the language they speak
** Bengali alphabet, the ...
: রাজার মৃত্যু) [Performer and production manager], premiered in 2015
*''A Good Deed for Mr. Stinky''
ead performer premiered in 2015
*''One Two Three'' [Director], premiered in 2015
*''Raajrokto'' (
Bengali
Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to:
*something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia
* Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region
* Bengali language, the language they speak
** Bengali alphabet, the ...
: রাজরক্ত)
ead performer premiered in 2014
Filmography
*''
Mon Matal'' (
Bengali
Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to:
*something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia
* Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region
* Bengali language, the language they speak
** Bengali alphabet, the ...
: মন মাতাল; Bangali feature film),
erformer Expected Release 2023
*''
Chhipkali'' (
Hindi
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of North India, northern, Central India, centr ...
:Hindi feature film)
erformer Expected Release 2023
*''
Goyenda Junior'' (
Bengali
Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to:
*something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia
* Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region
* Bengali language, the language they speak
** Bengali alphabet, the ...
: গোয়েন্দা জুনিয়ার; Bengali feature film)
erformer premiered in 2019
*''Banshi'' (
Bengali
Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to:
*something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia
* Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region
* Bengali language, the language they speak
** Bengali alphabet, the ...
: বাঁশি; Bengali short film)
erformer premiered in 2018
*''Niruddesh/Adrift'' (
Bengali
Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to:
*something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia
* Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region
* Bengali language, the language they speak
** Bengali alphabet, the ...
: নিরুদ্দেশ; Bengali short film)
ead performer premiered in 2018
*''
One
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. ...
'' (Bengali feature film)
erformer premiered in 2017
*''
Tope (film)
''Tope'' () is a 2016 Indian Bengali-language psychological drama film directed by Buddhadeb Dasgupta and produced by Pawan Kanodia. The film is based on a same name short story of Narayan Gangopadhyay. The film premiered at the 2016 Toronto In ...
'' - The Bait'' (Bengali feature film)
erformer premiered in 2016
TV and Web Series
* " The Senapatis" - Volume 2 ( Bengali web series)
*''The Senapatis'' - Volume 1 (Bengali web series)
erformer premiered in 2019
References
External links
* "AAGSHUDDHI: A relevant readaptation of Miller’s 1953 classic". ''www.kaahon.com''. https://www.kaahon.com/theatre/aagshuddhi-relevant-readaptation-millers-1953-classic/. Retrieved 2018-09-15.
* "Code Red to be staged in Kolkata after many months". ''The Times of India''. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bengali/theatre/code-red-to-be-staged-in-kolkata-after-many-months/articleshow/65149567.cms. Retrieved 2018-09-15.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adhikari, Krishnendu
Indian theatre managers and producers
1982 births
Living people
Male actors in Bengali cinema
Indian theatre directors