Rupa Ganguly who has migrated to Mumbai after her career took a turn with a major role in a serial, was back in town to perform a one-woman stage show recently. The play, Suprabhat, based on Italian writer Franca Rame’s Walking Up, was presented by Swapnasandhaani and directed by Koushik Sen, founder-head of the group.
Sen says that Rupa Ganguly was the first actress whose name came up when he read the script. Says Sen, “Rupa has never been directly involved in theatre the way we are. But she has been an active supporter of theatre and when she lived in Kolkata, she tried to watch every play she possibly could. She also insisted on paying for her ticket and often expressed her wish to feature in one of our productions. This was the best opportunity for her to get involved in theatre.”
The play moves to other cities in India beginning with Bangalore.
As a writer and an actress, Rame has focused much of her energy on depicting the plight of women in modern society, often turning to Biblical (Adam and Eve) and classical (Medea) subjects as a way of getting at more-contemporary concerns. She is the co-author of many dramatic works. Rame was born to a family of puppeteers who have been practicing their art for several generations, and began her acting career at the age of eight. She joined Dario Fo in the theatre in 1951 (and married him in 1954) and has since collaborated with him as stage performer, writer, and editor for dozens of plays and monologues.