Many Bollywood actresses of the 70s paved their way to fame either through their outstanding performances or through their bold choice of roles. Be it Sharmila Tagore who created a revolution by wearing a bikini or Parveen Babi who established herself as a style icon with her fashion choices, every actress of the 70s created her unique identity.
However, Moushumi Chatterjee was not influenced by the success of her contemporaries and always stayed away from the mass race. She had her own style and aura, which made her one of the highest paid actresses of the 1970s. Her innocent eyes and striking beauty impressed many. Moushumi was so brilliant at her craft that even when she had to perform emotional scenes, she never needed glycerin.
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Moushumi was one of the most sought-after actresses and her extraordinary acting won many hearts. However, the actress broke many norms and led an unconventional life. While her blossoming career gave her many highlights, it also gave her some heartbreaking moments. Let’s take a look at Moushumi Chatterjee’s unconventional life.
Moushumi Chatterjee married at the age of 15
Moushumi Chatterjee was born on April 26, 1948 into a Bengali Brahmin family. Her real name was Indira Chattopadhyaya and Moushumi was her stage name. At the age of 10, she made her acting debut in a Bengali film. Balika Badhu as a child actress. After her debut film, she was flooded with film offers, but Moushumi wanted to study.
But as fate would have it, Moushumi’s aunt fell ill while studying in Class X and her last wish was to see Moushumi get married. She got engaged to her neighbor and legendary music director, Hemant Kumar’s son Jayant Mukherjee. In an interview with Teach, Moushumi spoke about her marriage at the age of 15, saying:
“My father was very close to his older sister and she was in the final stages of her cancer. Her last wish was to see me married. So my father-in-law suggested that the wedding should take place. I even skipped my exams. I also got a film around the same time. Everything just fell into place.”
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Moushumi Chatterjee became a mother at 18
After her marriage to Hemant Kumar’s son Jayant Mukherjee, Moushumi moved to Mumbai. Moushumi’s film career only began after her marriage. She made her debut in Hindi cinema with the film: Anurag, which was a blockbuster. Her debut was followed by films like Kachhe Dhaage, Benaam, Roti Kapada Aur Makan, address and many more.
At the age of 18, Moushumi became a mother and gave birth to her first child, Payal Mukherjee. Moushumi’s success was such that she owned a Mercedes at the age of 18. Moushumi once revealed how everyone told her not to have a child as her career would take a backseat:
“At 18, I had a daughter on my lap and had a Mercedes car that I bought with my own money. I was just 18 when I had my first child and I remember my doctor telling me, “For the first time in my nursing home, a baby is having a baby.” I had already done Anuraag and everyone told me I couldn’t would have a baby. They all thought that I wasn’t serious about my career as I also gave back money to many producers and I too thought that this was the end and I would just settle down. But then film after film clicked and I got back on my feet.”
Moushumi Chatterjee’s connections with actors
Moushami Chatterjee was at the peak of her career in the 1970s and worked with superstars like Amitabh Bachchan, Jeetendra, Sanjeev Kumar, Rajesh Khanna and many others. Although Moushumi was married, he was in a relationship with many actors. Sanjeev Kumar, Jeetendra and Farooque Shaikh were some of the names she was linked with. In an interview with Rediff.com, Moushumi spoke about this and revealed that her father-in-law told her to never pay attention to the stories written about her in the newspapers.
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Moushumi Chatterjee’s daughter, Payal’s untimely death
Moushumi Chatterjee and Jayant Mukherjee have embraced parenthood with the birth of their daughters Payal Mukherjee and Megha Mukherjee. Moushumi’s elder daughter Payal suffered from type 1 diabetes and fell into a coma in 2018. She had suffered from juvenile diabetes since she was a teenager.
Payal married businessman Dicky Sinha in 2010. Due to some disputes in the business, Dicky’s relations with the Mukherjee’s deteriorated. However, after Payal’s health deteriorated, she fell into a coma and passed away on December 13, 2019 at the age of 45.
As Payal’s health deteriorated, Moushumi accused Dicky and Payal’s in-laws of neglecting her. The veteran actress also alleged that Dicky refused to pay Payal’s medical bills and even stopped Payal’s daughter from meeting her.
Moushumi Chatterjee has often said that God was partial to her as he always gave her more than she deserved but took away things that were dear to her. Despite all the insecurities, Moushumi has always found her silver lining.
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