A Bengali adaptation of ‘Hamlet’ takes the stage in Kolkata

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Earlier this month, I had a chance to watch a stage adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet in Bengali, a production by the theatre group Swapnasandhani in Kolkata.

Led by reputed stage and screen actor Koushik Sen, who plays Claudius in this version he has directed, the group has been around for over 30 years, known for its original plays as well as many adaptations of classic texts—be it Shakespeare’s Macbeth (2012) or Malyaban (2006), based on a novel by the iconic Bengali poet, Jibanananda Das. Although Swapnasandhani premiered Hamlet in May 2022, just as the restrictions imposed by the covid-19 pandemic were beginning to be eased, the play was revived recently, with a series of performances planned for the coming months.

While the production essentially remains the same, the overall acting has gained more depth, most significantly in the performance of the titular hero played by the award-winning actor Riddhi Sen, son of Koushik Sen. In the play’s current version, Riddhi, who is in his mid-20s now, seemed to have transformed into an edgier version of the Prince of Denmark.

With his bearded look and chiselled figure, he has embraced the rebel streak in Hamlet, which often gets subsumed in the brooding melancholy of the character, and along with it, a certain ruggedness of demeanour. As with any play, each performance remains unique and a work in progress, continuing to refine the intellectual and affective premises of the work, both Shakespeare’s and the Bengali version’s, which has been beautifully translated by Chaiti Mitra.

Shakespeare has been a long-time presence in Bengal. In his 2023 essay, Shakespeare Comes to Bengal, scholar Sukanta Chaudhuri traces the legacy of the