Chapal Rani, the Last Queen of Bengal: The Life and Times of a Female Impersonator [Hardcover]

Blending biography with evocative vignettes,Chapal Ranitraces the career of Bengali stage actor Chapal Bhaduri and his struggle for artistic identity in a changing world.

As the last great female impersonator of Bengali theater, Chapal Bhaduri—known as Chapal Rani—once held audiences spellbound in the jatra tradition, where men became goddesses and heroines. But when women finally took their place on stage, Chapal found himself exiled from the world he had ruled. In this groundbreaking biography, Sandip Roy captures the rise and fall of a performer whose art was inseparable from his identity.

Told in Chapal’s own voice and interwoven with evocative fictional vignettes,Chapal Rani, the Last Queen of Bengalbrings to life Kolkata’s golden age of theater and the resilience of a man who refused to disappear. Through decades of research and deeply personal interviews, Roy crafts a moving portrait of gender and belonging.Sandip Royis a writer, columnist, and podcaster currently living in Kolkata. He is a columnist forMint Lounge,The Hindu, and the host of theSandip Roy ShowonIndian Express. His work has appeared inThe New York Times,BBC,The San Francisco Chronicle,NPR,Huffington Post,Conde Nast Traveller, among other publications. For over a decade, Roy was editor ofTrikone, the world’s oldest magazine on LGBTQ+ South Asian issues. He is the author of the novelDon’t Let Him Know.