Moushumi Chatterjee (born Indira Chattopadhyay; 26 April is an Indian actress and politician known for her work in Hindi and Bengali cinema. One of the highest-paid actresses and leading actresses of the 1970s, Chatterjee is known for her natural, expressive performances in both romantic and family dramas. She is the recipient of several accolades, including two Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards and a Filmfare Award. In 2015, she was honoured with the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award. In politics, she was previously a member of the Indian National Congress, but later joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in 2019.
Early and personal life Chatterjee was born in Calcutta to a Bengali Brahmin family that hailed from Bikrampur in Bangladesh. Her father, Prantosh Chattopadhyaya, was in the Indian Army, and her grandfather was a judge. Her real name is Indira, and Moushumi is her screen name.
Indira Chattopadhyaya was married to Jayanta Mukherjee at a young age. The couple has two daughters. Jayanta Mukherjee is the son of film producer, music composer, and singer Hemanta Mukhopadhyay, popularly known as Hemant Kumar in Hindi film industry. Jayanta is also an exponent of Rabindra Sangeet. She always prioritised her family above her film roles. Her daughter Payal, who had type 1 diabetes, had been in a coma since 2018 and died on 13 December 2019.
Career 1967–1984: Debut and breakthrough Chatterjee made her film debut as a child heroine in the Bengali hit Balika Badhu (1967), directed by Tarun Majumdar when she was a preteen. In an interview, Moushumi Chatterjee quoted: "After Balika Badhu, I was flooded with Bengali movies but I wished to complete my studies. However, movies were in my fate hence when I was studying in class X, a close aunt of mine was on her death-bed and her last wish was to see me married. Hence, to satisfy her wish I got married." She was called as Indira at home. She got engaged to guardian and neighbour Hemant Kumar's son, Jayant Mukherjee (Babu). "I fell in love with Babu. He was the first man I came in touch with outside my family." She was then seen in Bengali films like Parineeta, Anindita.
She made her debut as the leading lady in the Hindi film Anuraag (1972) directed by Shakti Samanta. Moushumi played the role of a blind girl and earned her first and only nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress; Anuraag won the Filmfare Award for Best Film. The film proved to be a major success. About her Hindi film debut, she said in an interview: "As my father-in-law was a renowned film celebrity, many film personalities used to throng our house. One among them was filmmaker Shakti Samanta, who insisted upon me to act in movies. I declined, but both my father-in-law and my husband encouraged me, thus I got Anuraag." When asked about her first role in Hindi films she said that "[w]hen Shaktida told me that I have to play a blind lady I was taken aback. I honestly told Shaktida that I may not do justice to the role as I have never studied a blind person, but Shaktida assured me that he will take me to a blind school and train me ... he insisted to do a small Mahurat shot before. [...] When I reached the studio I was excited to see Bollywood luminaries like Nutanji, Dadamoni (Ashok Kumar fondly called), Rajesh Khanna, S. D. Burman and others. The moment Shaktida called action I did my Mahurat shot confidently and was applauded. After the shot, Shaktida told me that I had given the shot so skillfully that there was no need to visit a blind school!"
In 1973, she acted in Naina opposite Shashi Kapoor, Kachhe Dhaage with Vinod Khanna and Us Paar with Vinod Mehra. In 1974, she acted with the then-struggling Amitabh Bachchan in the thriller Benaam and opposite Rajesh Khanna in the drama Humshakal. Her most successful film came at the end of 1974, where she played a rape survivor, in Manoj Kumar's Roti Kapada Aur Makaan.http://www.boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=180 She received her first and only nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress. She went on to become a part of several successful films like Swarag Narak, Maang Bharo Sajna, Pyaasa Sawan, Jyoti Bane Jwala with Jeetendra, Swayamvar with Shashi Kapoor and Anand Ashram with Rakesh Roshan. She acted with Rishi Kapoor in four films none of which were successful.
She was paired with Vinod Mehra in 10 films, including Anuraag, Us-Paar, Raftaar, Umar Qaid, Mazaaq, Zindagi and Do Jhoot. She only acted in 2 films with Amitabh Bachchan, Benaam and Basu Chatterjee's Manzil (1979). Her Bengali film with Uttam Kumar, Ogu Bodhu Sundari, released in 1981 and became successful. In 1982, she did the Marathi film (cameo in song Tumhi Adkitta Mi Ho Supari) Bhannat Bhanu. Her films with Rajesh Khanna include Bhola Bhala, Prem Bandhan and Ghar Parivar. She worked with Sanjeev Kumar in many movies including Angoor, Daasi and Itni Si Baat. In 1985, she acted in the Bengali film Pratigna.
After 1985, she graduated to supporting roles and acted in movies like Watan Ke Rakhwale, Aag Hi Aag, Ghayal and many more.
1985–present: Transition period From 1985 to 1991, Chatterjee got more offers as a character actress and she made the transition to roles of mother and bhabhi (sister-in-law), often pairing with Dharmendra or Sunil Dutt. She played Sunny Deol's sister-in-law in Ghayal. Occasionally, she got lead roles in films in the 1990s such as Ghar Parivaar and Aa Ab Laut Chalen, both opposite Rajesh Khanna, then Santaan, Prateeksha (1993) and Udhaar Ki Zindagi with Jeetendra and Keemat: They Are Back (1998). She acted in the Indo-Canadian production Bollywood/Hollywood in 2003 and Na Tum Jaano Na Hum, Hum Kaun Hai? in 2004. Moushumi Chatterjee made a comeback to cinema, with Tanuja Chandra's Zindaggi Rocks in 2006.
Apart from Balika Badhu (1967) her Bengali films as lead heroine include Parineeta (1969), Anindita (1972), Anand Ashram (1977), Ogu Bodhu Sundari (1981), Prarthana (1984), Shatarupa (1989), Kari Diye Kinlam (1989), Bidhilipi (1991) and later as supporting actress; Nater Guru (2003), Bhalobasar Anek Naam (2005), The Japanese Wife (2010) and Goynar Baksho (2013). She sang a song Tomar Duare in Mallick Bari (2009). In 2014, she won the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress for the Bengali film Goynar Baksho and received the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015.
Political career Chatterjee contested in the 2004 Lok Sabha election as a candidate for the Indian National Congress for the Calcutta North East constituency, but lost to CPM's Mohammed Salim. In 2019, she joined the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Filmography Films
+YearTitleRoleLanguage Notes and 1967Balika Badhu RajaniBengali1969ParineetaLolitaBengali1972AnuraagShivaniHindiDebut as heroine. Nominated: Filmfare Award for Best Actress1973Naina NainaHindiKuchhe DhaageSonaHindiGhulam Begam BadshahLaxmiHindi1974Zehreela InsaanAratiHindiUs PaarKamlaHindiRoti Kapada Aur Makaan TulsiHindiNominated: Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress Humshakal SitaHindiBenaam SheelaHindiBadlaKalpanaHindi1975Umar QaidDr. BhartiHindiRaftaarRani/RitaHindiNatakSunitaHindiMazaaq MoushumiHindiDo JhootLajwantiHindiAnariRashmiHindi1976Sabse Bada Rupaiya SunitaHindiJai Bajrang Bali DeviHindiZindagi SeemaHindi1977Anand AshramKiranHindiHatyaraGauriHindiAb Kya HogaHindiCameo1978Tumhari KasamVidyaHindiSwarg Narak ShobhaHindiPhool Khile Hain Gulshan Gulshan ShantiHindiPhandebaazShantiHindiDil Aur Deewar SarojaHindiBhola BhalaRenuHindiEk Baap Chhe BeteReenaHindiCameo1979Do Ladke Dono KadkeRaniHindiPrem BandhanMeena HindiGautam GovindaSandhyaHindiManzilArunaHindiLove in CanadaSeemaHindiGhar Ki LaajJankiHindi1980SwayamvarRoopaHindiMaang Bharo SajanaSitaHindiJyoti Bane JwalaAnuHindiChambal Ki KasamTannibaiHindiBadla aur BalidaanJyotiHindiDo PremeePayal/ParvatiHindiBe-RehamHameeda BanuHindiGuest appearance1981Pyaasa SawanShantiHindiKrodhiAartiHindiCameoItni Si BaatAshaHindiDaasiMangalaHindiKahani Ek Chor KiSeetaHindiOgo Bodhu ShundariSabitriBengali1982RakshaAshaHindiGuest appearanceAngoor SudhaHindi1983Justice ChaudhuryJanakiHindi1984JawaaniPrema MohanHindiGhar Ek Mandir Laxmi bhabhiHindiAan aur ShaanRadhaHindiDelayed releasePet Pyaar aur PaapHindiGuest appearance1985RusvaaiHindiLast film with late Sanjeev KumarDekha Pyar TumharaMrs. MullickHindi1986UrbashiUrbashiBengali1987Sindoor CameoHindiAag Hi Aag Ganga SinghHindiMahanandaMahanandaHindiMera Karam Mera DharamMalaHindiWatan Ke RakhwaleLaxmi PrakashHindiParam Dharam Savitri SinghHindi1988Taqdeer Ka Tamasha GretaHindiWaqt Ki AwazJustice ShardaHindiVijay RitaHindiAgnee ShobhaHindi1989Aakhri GhulamHindiAakhri Baazi Parvati KumarHindiJung Baaz Mrs. SaxenaHindiSikkaLaxmiHindiShehzaade Padmini SinghHindi1990GhayalIndu MehraHindi1991Ghar Parivaar Parvati DeviHindiPyar Ka Devta Chief Justice Saraswati Hindi1992Zulm Ki Hukumat Mrs. PitambarHindiKhule-Aam RoopadeviHindiNishchaiy Renuka SinghHindi1993Prateeksha LaxmiHindiSantaan LaxmiHindi1994Udhaar Ki Zindagi JankiHindiIkke Pe IkkaKaushalya DeviHindi1995Kartavya Sharda VarmaHindiJallaad Tara DeviHindi1996Muqaddar Bharati DeviHindi1998Kareeb HindiDoli Saja Ke RakhnaChandrikaHindiKeemat – They Are BackSulakshanaHindi1999Aa Ab Laut Chalen Rama KhannaHindi2002Na Tum Jaano Na HumMrs. MalhotraHindiBollywood/HollywoodMummyjiHindiCanadian comedy2003Nater GuruManisha's motherBengali2004Hum Kaun Hai?Martha PintoHindi2006Zindaggi RocksIndraniHindiBhalobasar Onek NaamBiniBengali2010The Japanese Wife MaashiBengali2013Goynar Baksho PishiBengali2015Piku Chhobi MaashiHindi2016Sesh SangbadElinaBengali2025AariiJoya SenBengali
Television Year Serial Role Notes 1992 Talaash Urmila / Sadhika Season 1, 26 Episodes 1993 Albeli Albeli Season 1 2004 Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai Guest Season 1 2021 Super Dancer Guest Season 4 2023 India's Best Dancer Guest Season 3 2023 The Kapil Sharma Show Guest Season 5
Awards Year Award Category Work Result 1968 Bengal Film Journalists' Association Best ActressBalika Badhu 1972 Filmfare Awards Best ActressAnuraag 1974Filmfare Awards Best Supporting ActressRoti Kapda Aur Makaan Bengal Film Journalists' Association Best Supporting Actress 2002 Genie Awards Best Supporting ActressBollywood/Hollywood 2014 Filmfare Awards Best Supporting Actress – BengaliGoynar Baksho 2015 Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award Lifetime Achievement Award 2016 Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards Lifetime Achievement Award
References
External links