Moushumi Chatterjee
- Actress
Moushumi Chatterjee was considered one of the most
beautiful faces to hit the Hindi screen in the 1970s. She is an actress
originally from Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), West Bengal. She made her
film debut in the Bengali hit,
Balika Badhu (1967) directed by
Tarun Majumdar when she was in her early
teens. Her debut as heroine in the Hindi film
Anuraag (1972) came courtesy of another
famous Bengali director Shakti Samanta.
She played a blind girl who falls in love, and her performance earned
her a Filmfare nomination as Best Actress. The film, itself, won the
Filmfare Award as Best Picture. That led to another huge hit film,
where she played a rape survivor in
Manoj Kumar 's
Roti Kapada Aur Makaan (1974).
Her rape sequence in the film is still considered to be one of the most
disturbing scenes in Hindi cinema. Her performance earned her a
Filmfare Nomination as Best Supporting Actress. That led to more
starring roles opposite superstar Rajesh Khanna in Humshakal, Bhola Bhala, Prem Bandhan, Ghar Parivaar,Aa Ab Laut Chalen. She acted with
Amitabh Bachchan in the thriller
Benaam (1974) and
Basu Chatterjee's film
Manzil (1979). She played heroine opposite
all the other top leading men, such as
Sanjeev Kumar in films like Angoor, Itni Si Baat and with
Jeetendra like Swarg Narak, Jyoti Bane Jwala, Justice Chowdhry, Dil Aur Deewar, Pyasa Sawan and with
Vinod Mehra like Anuraag, Do Jhoot, Zindagi, Us Paar, Naina, Mazaaq, Umar Qaid and with
Shashi Kapoor in Swayamvar, Ghar Ek Mandir. She did more Hindi
and Bengali hit films, and by the 1986, she made the transition to
character roles of mother and bhabhi (sister-in-law).
Moushumi's personal life has kept her in the gossip columns since the
beginning of her career. She married early to producer
Jayanta Mukherjee, son of legendary
music composer and singer
Hemanta Mukherjee. They have two
daughters, Payal and Megha. She acted in Hindi films after marriage,
which was unusual at that time, as it was customary to act in films
before marriage and leave films after marriage. At one point, she was
said to leave her husband for film distributor Ramesh Sippy (not to be
confused with the director of
Sholay (1975)) but then changed her mind
and stayed with her husband and their two daughters.
In 2005, she was thrilled when director Tarun Majumdar', who had
introduced her to films in
Balika Badhu (1967) decided to
introduce her younger daughter Megha in his next Bengali film
"Bhalobasar Anek Naam". (Moushumi played a supporting role as cousin
sister to Megha in the film.) Her older daughter Payal has made a name
for herself behind the camera as the creative head at the Prime
Channel, which oversees television shows.
In middle age, Moushumi has accepted new challenges as playing a dual
role in Tanuja Chandra's
Zindaggi Rocks (2006) and crossed
over to Canada to act in
Bollywood/Hollywood (2002)
for which she received a Genie Best Supporting Actress nomination. She
also has entered politics in 2004, even though she has had no
experience, but she tried to compensate with enthusiasm and hard work.
beautiful faces to hit the Hindi screen in the 1970s. She is an actress
originally from Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), West Bengal. She made her
film debut in the Bengali hit,
Balika Badhu (1967) directed by
Tarun Majumdar when she was in her early
teens. Her debut as heroine in the Hindi film
Anuraag (1972) came courtesy of another
famous Bengali director Shakti Samanta.
She played a blind girl who falls in love, and her performance earned
her a Filmfare nomination as Best Actress. The film, itself, won the
Filmfare Award as Best Picture. That led to another huge hit film,
where she played a rape survivor in
Manoj Kumar 's
Roti Kapada Aur Makaan (1974).
Her rape sequence in the film is still considered to be one of the most
disturbing scenes in Hindi cinema. Her performance earned her a
Filmfare Nomination as Best Supporting Actress. That led to more
starring roles opposite superstar Rajesh Khanna in Humshakal, Bhola Bhala, Prem Bandhan, Ghar Parivaar,Aa Ab Laut Chalen. She acted with
Amitabh Bachchan in the thriller
Benaam (1974) and
Basu Chatterjee's film
Manzil (1979). She played heroine opposite
all the other top leading men, such as
Sanjeev Kumar in films like Angoor, Itni Si Baat and with
Jeetendra like Swarg Narak, Jyoti Bane Jwala, Justice Chowdhry, Dil Aur Deewar, Pyasa Sawan and with
Vinod Mehra like Anuraag, Do Jhoot, Zindagi, Us Paar, Naina, Mazaaq, Umar Qaid and with
Shashi Kapoor in Swayamvar, Ghar Ek Mandir. She did more Hindi
and Bengali hit films, and by the 1986, she made the transition to
character roles of mother and bhabhi (sister-in-law).
Moushumi's personal life has kept her in the gossip columns since the
beginning of her career. She married early to producer
Jayanta Mukherjee, son of legendary
music composer and singer
Hemanta Mukherjee. They have two
daughters, Payal and Megha. She acted in Hindi films after marriage,
which was unusual at that time, as it was customary to act in films
before marriage and leave films after marriage. At one point, she was
said to leave her husband for film distributor Ramesh Sippy (not to be
confused with the director of
Sholay (1975)) but then changed her mind
and stayed with her husband and their two daughters.
In 2005, she was thrilled when director Tarun Majumdar', who had
introduced her to films in
Balika Badhu (1967) decided to
introduce her younger daughter Megha in his next Bengali film
"Bhalobasar Anek Naam". (Moushumi played a supporting role as cousin
sister to Megha in the film.) Her older daughter Payal has made a name
for herself behind the camera as the creative head at the Prime
Channel, which oversees television shows.
In middle age, Moushumi has accepted new challenges as playing a dual
role in Tanuja Chandra's
Zindaggi Rocks (2006) and crossed
over to Canada to act in
Bollywood/Hollywood (2002)
for which she received a Genie Best Supporting Actress nomination. She
also has entered politics in 2004, even though she has had no
experience, but she tried to compensate with enthusiasm and hard work.