The stage lights rise on a woman standing alone—back straight, eyes burning with quiet defiance. In one moment, she’s a sex worker turned vigilante in Crimson Gully; in the next, a naive housewife-turned-undercover freedom fighter in Jallianwala Bagh. Now, with her latest play All About Women set to premiere this May, Paromita Mukherjee prepares to make another bold mark—embodying five radically different lives before the curtain falls.
“For me, theatre is more than a hobby—it’s almost like a calling. I feel like I must do it,” says Mukherjee over Zoom from her Perth home.
Mukherjee’s journey began in Kolkata, the eastern Indian city steeped in arts and culture, where Tagore’s dance dramas taught her the alchemy of movement and meaning. “I trained and ventured into everything from singing, dancing to drama and found that expressions on stage came naturally to me.”
This passion for drama first took root at the most fundamental level—through neighbourhood club performances and local cultural functions. A turning point in her life was when as a Year 9 student, she directed Pakhi, a serious dramatic work by the celebrated playwright and actor Manoj Mitra. What made this achievement particularly notable was that she directed actors senior to her.
“It was a huge success,” she recalls with pride.
But it was her 2012 move to Perth—via a UK interlude—that forged her artistic identity.
Her breakout came unexpectedly when a last-minute casting switch, thrust her into the lead role of a Bengali Mousetrap (2013) adaptation. “Nobody knew me. Nobody trusted me,” she laughs.
The performance earned standing ovations and, over the years, with consistently varied performances, achieved something rarer: an invitation to join Perth’s English-language theatre scene. For Mukherjee, whose prior work centered on Bengali community theatre, it was a revelation. “Suddenly I wasn’t just representing my culture—I was interpreting universal human struggles.”
Notably, her role in Crimson Gully (2024) created by The Great Indian Theatre Company marked a transformative moment. The play, which dealt with complex themes of sex work, power dynamics and survival in an Indian town, was a bold leap beyond the familiar confines of community theatre. Mukherjee, playing a central character Tai, a shrewd businesswoman caught in a morally complex world, earned critical acclaim for her performance. The play won the Adjudicator’s Award at the 2024 ITA- Independent Theatre Association Festival of Performing Arts in WA.
Mukherjee’s latest work All About Women by award-winning Croatian playwright Miro Gavran premieres on May 2-3 at Nexus theatre in Murdoch University, Perth. The play is part of a major theatre festival celebrating theatre group ShanTaranga’s 10th anniversary.
With over 20 years’ experience, theatre, Mukherjee asserts, is a space for constant growth and reinvention. All About Women is yet another example of her desire to challenge herself and reach new audiences. In this play, as with her previous works, Mukherjee takes on the role of a character undergoing significant transformation. The play, which deals with themes of empowerment, vulnerability, and complex personal journeys, interlaces five women’s journeys into a spellbinding portrait of modern womanhood.
Despite her success in Perth’s multicultural arts scene, Mukherjee remains acutely aware of the challenges that come with being a multicultural performer in Australia. “Ethnicity still plays a role,” she admits, pointing to the lack of diverse representation in theatre scripts and roles. But she also acknowledges the gradual shift towards inclusivity. “It’s improving, though slowly.”
For Mukherjee, this growing openness is a hopeful sign, and she encourages emerging performers to embrace every opportunity. “Put yourself out there. Go for every audition you can.”
As she embraces new creative outlets, including a recent TV commercial with CEOs for Gender Equity, she embodies the modern artist—a creator whose career is defined not by the limits of one medium or culture, but by the boundless possibilities of expression.
As our call wraps up, she’s already gearing up for another audition—this time, one that actively seeks out diverse voices. “Twenty years ago, I might’ve been cast as ‘ethnic background actor #3,’” she reflects. “Now? The lead could be named Paromita.”
Her voice doesn’t waver; it crackles with defiance and purpose. It’s not just pride—it’s a declaration. The roles have changed, because she refused to stay in the margins.
ALL ABOUT WOMEN plays at the Nexus Theatre, Murdoch University, 90 South Street, WA. For details click here.
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