Chapal Bhaduri: Jatra's Queer Survivor

0:00It's April 4th. Welcome to Global News Today, powered by AI. I'm Corey with the story. In mid-20th century Bengal, Chapal Baduri ruled the Jatra stage as Chapal Ronning, one of India's top female impersonators in this traveling, theater packed with music, myths and drama. Born in 1939 in North Kolkata, to a stage actress mom, he started performing at age 16, nailing roles like Queens, Goddesses, and Curtisands with real grace and a voice that hooked huge rural crowds. Jatra relied on men playing women for decades, but by the 1950s, things shifted as real women stepped onto the stage. Baduri stood out with his detailed costumes, from rags to sponges for curves, and a femininity he said was always inside him. Offstage, life got messy with secret admirers in a decade's long relationship, but he stayed proud, refusing to apologize for love. Audiences once cheered him wildly, but rejection hit hard in the late 1960s and early 70s.

1:02Bood offstage and pelted with objects, he faded as fans demanded actual women actors. Many peers ended up broke, running teastalls are doing manual work, their stories mostly lost. A new book by Sandab Roy, plus films and exhibits, revive interest, casting Baduri as a queer survivor and elder, though he dodged labels like third. Gender and dressed as any Bengali man, filmmakers gave him late cameos, and younger folks embraced his history. Now 88 and in a retirement home near his old family spot, Baduri's tale Spotlights, how fluid gender was in forgotten arts, reminding us why, some stars shine on while others slip away.