Girish Chandra Ghosh was a prominent actor, playwright, director, and producer of Bengali theatre. He was initiated into the theatrical world as a composer in popular Half-akhrai music bands. Closely associated with the Baghbazar Amateur Jatra Party in Calcutta, he scored the music for its 1867 production of Michael Madhusudan Dutt`s Sharmishtha and played Nimchand in Sadhabar ekadashi in 1869 and Lalit in Lilabati in 1871. Both were directed by Dinabandhu Mitra. Girish Ghosh was one of the organizers of the National Theatre in 1872. He left the group on the issue of collecting gate money, but rejoined soon as `a distinguished amateur` in the role of Bhimsinha in Dutt`s Krishnakumari in 1873. He had close contact with the British actress Mrs Lewis and her company during their stay in Calcutta. He dramatized Bankim Chatterjee`s Mrinalini in 1874 for the Great National Theatre and Dutt`s Meghnadbadh i.e. `Killing of Meghnad` in 1877 for the rechristened National Theatre. His first original script, Agamani i.e. `Advent` in 1877, marked the beginning of a prolific yet illustrious playwriting career. In 1880, he finally gave up his job with a commercial firm to take up management of the National Theatre. Ghosh`s association with different Calcutta stages looks somewhat checked. The National could retain him only till 1883, after which began his periodic shifting within the limited circle of playhouses i.e. the Star in Beadon Street and later Cornwallis Street, Emerald, Minerva, and Classic, etc. in endless permutations. He even had the dubious distinction of serving opponent troupes surreptitiously. However, he managed companies professionally, and largely fashioned the grand production style prevalent in Bengali theatre. He hybridized popular folk entertainment with Western notions of dramaturgy as well.

As a playwright he relied on dramatization of novels by Bankim Chatterjee`s Kapalkundala in 1873, Mrinalini, Bisha-briksha in 1874, Durgeshnandini i.e. `Chieftain`s Daughter` in 1878 and epic poems Meghnadbadh, Palashir juddha i.e `Battle of Plassey` in 1878. The early attempts failed till Rabanbadh i.e. `Killing of Ravana` in 1881 made a big hit, featuring his improvisation of Gairish metre, named after him. This considerably influenced Bengali dramatists. It might have induced him to write many plays based on the Ramayana. Sitar banabas i.e. `Sita`s Forest Exile` and Lakshmanbadh i.e. `Killing of Lakshman`, both were staged in 1881. Sitar bibaha i.e. `Sita`s Marriage`, Ramer banabas i.e. `Rama`s Forest Exile`, Sitahamn i.e. `Sita`s Abduction`, all were staged in 1882. After briefly experimenting with musical plays like Malinmala i.e. `Tarnished Garland and Brajabihar i.e. `Frolic in Vraj` in 1882, he entered another phase of mythologicals which included Pandaber ajnatabas i.e. `Pandavas` Incognito Exile, Dakshayajna i.e. Pandemonium`, Dhniba-charitra i.e. `Dhruva`s Life`, Nala-Damayanti i.e. `Nala and Damayanti`. All of them were staged in 1883. Some of the plays such as Chaitanya-lila i.e. `Chaitanyas Miracles` in 1884, Prahlad-charitra i.e. `Prahlads Life` in 1884, and Bilwamangal Thakur in 1886, all were box-office hits. The saint Ramakrishna`s arrival at a performance of Chaitanya-lila deepened spiritual yearnings in Ghosh and also lent him and the Bengali stage respectability.

After dabbling in social plays like Nasiram, Purnachandra, and Bishad, he finally struck his best in Praphulla in 1889. His spent his last period as a dramatist at Minerva Theatre. He saw scripts like Shakespeare`s Macbeth in translation, Abu Hosain and Jana, Pandab gaurab i.e. `Pandavas` Glory` in 1900, Satnam in 1904, proscribed by the British government, etc.

Balidan i.e. `Sacrifice` and Sirajuddaula, Jaysa-ka-taysa i.e. `Tit for Tat`, after Moliere, and Shasti ki shanti i.e. `Punishment or Peace` in 1908 were produced with great success. The nearly eighty plays written by him represent all the popular theatrical modes of Bengal. From light farces and musicals to elevated historical, mythological, and social drama including provocative works on nationalist themes. Girish Chandra Ghosh was a champion of stylized acting, Ghosh was dubbed the `Garrick of the East`, and the highest esteem an actor could have hoped for in those days. His essays on theatre dwell on the art and technique of acting of which he was reportedly an excellent coach. Girish Ghosh has also written on the personalities and problems of Bengali theatre . This legendary figure died in the year of 1912.