Today I am talking to such a person. Her identity is so unique and unmatched that if I say anything about her, it will be less. So let’s start the talk. Her name itself is her personality; she is the actress Moushumi Chatterjee, who has been outspoken since childhood, versatile, and gives straight answers to straight questions. If we talk about her legacy, she got married to the legendary Hemant Kumar Sahab’s son, Jayant Mukherjee, and gave birth to two beautiful and very intelligent daughters; her elder daughter is Payal Mukherjee, and the second is Meghaa Mukherjee.
Today I am interviewing her. So let’s get a brief introduction about her, what kind of person she is in real life. This is my first time meeting her, but I have read a lot about her and tried to get to know her because she is different from everyone else and is a great person. She has been like this since childhood, as she is today. There has been no change in her behavior from childhood till now, and neither can it be seen. For her, every person should have one quality, which is that a person should be clean at heart. Very few people know this, which I would like to tell everyone today. Her real name is Indira, whom Hemant Da lovingly calls Indu. And later, I mean today, the whole world knows her as Moushumi Chatterjee.
She did not want to become a film actress, but she loved watching Hindi films, and this is where God chose the path for her, Asha Parekh’s film Ziddi, which she watched 5 times. From there, her acting journey started. She also believes that life should not be of only one color; life should have sweetness, saltiness, spiciness, and sourness. Only then can a person become better by going through every stage. Her first film, Balika Vadhu [Bengali film], was directed by Tarun Majumdar, which proved to be a huge hit when she was in 5th grade, and the first film after marriage was Anurag [Hindi film], directed by Shakti Samanta. She was very inspired by two great artists of her time. Who were Dev Anand Sahab and Nutan Jee.
Suyash Pachauri Question:
You have done many films in your entire life, earned a lot of name and fame, and made your family proud, but is there something left that you still want to do for this film industry?
Moushumi Chatterjee Answer:
I would like to request the Indian film industry (Government of India) and film productions to do something for our technicians, spot boys, hairdressers, makeup artists, and daily wage workers… who have given 30 to 40 years of their lives to the film industry. What I mean to say is not for their care but for the contribution they have given to the industry throughout their lives. A security amount at the time of their retirement so that they can live the rest of their lives without depending on anyone. I have also seen Bharat Bhushan, how much he has suffered in his old age, AK Hangal and God knows how many more artists must have gone through such a situation, I mean to say that these were artists, no one cares about technicians. And the artists who do business in crores, our film industry.
Suyash Pachauri Question:
In today’s modern era, we can see that the film broadcasters, satellite partners, and distributors have been affected a lot by the advent of OTT platforms. Due to this difference, the prices of theatres, PVR, and film tickets, as well as food and beverages, have increased so much that a common man has to think twice before watching a film in a cinema. What is your opinion on how you view it?
Moushumi Chatterjee Answer:
Change is the rule of the world. In today’s era, quantity is given but quality is not given. When a highway is built, many hotels, houses, etc. get buried under that highway, and they have to find another way. Any plan should be done in a very systematic way. It is very important to be well planned. We all want our industry or anything else to come a long way, but this is not the job of one person, everyone has to move forward together, and someone has to take responsibility for those who are left behind. That will happen only when everyone is together. There are two types of people in the industry: those who rule and stay ahead, and some who ignore. Everyone has to move forward by staying together.
Suyash Pachauri Question:
Apart from you, who were the actors and actresses whom you considered your role model? And you had the best experience with them?
Moushumi Chatterjee Answer:
You asked a very good question. There was one actor with whom I did not get a chance to act. He was Balraj Sahni, which I will always regret. Apart from this, I learnt a lot from Ashok Kumar sahab. I learnt a lot from Pran Sahab. I got support from all my stars. And above all these, if I were to tell you one thing… My biggest gurus were my mother and father, who not only made me a good person but also gave me good values. The two biggest qualities they gave me were humility and kindness. And if I talk about actresses, the name that will always come to mind is Nutan, who was in my first film. I am a huge fan of Nutan ji. I used to be very nervous while working with her. She was such an actress who respected everyone. She used to talk to everyone, be it technicians, hairdressers, makeup artists, etc. with great respect. This was her greatness. While working with her, I learnt a lot from her and adopted her qualities in my life. But at the same time, I also saw people who respected others and still do. So life is a path of learning. It is open to everyone. It depends on the person which path he chooses. But this film industry makes you mature very quickly. The 10 years of experience of people who learn from outside, this film industry will teach you that in 2 years.
Suyash Pachauri Question:
I am asking you a slightly tough question; the contribution made by you and your family to this film industry, like you have been the best actress of your time, your father-in-law Legendry Shri Hemant Kumar Daa (Hemanta Mukherjee) is an Indian music master, a great lyricist who needs no introduction. So did you get that much retort from the industry…
Moushumi Chatterjee Answer:
No, I am nothing. I have seen with my own eyes, I have seen people better than me, who were rejected. Those who did not get the respect, the opportunities that they should have got. I feel very sad to see that because they deserve it. That they should get that respect. They should have got recognition but they did not get it. What kind of industry is today (you pay and buy), it does not come in that category.
Suyash Pachauri Question:
The special thing about you is that you do not belong to a family which has been in the field of acting for generations like the Kapoor family, but you have mastered acting, you did not learn it from anyone, you have done it since childhood, It is God’s gift that acting is in you from birth, that is why you debuted in the industry after marriage. During your childhood, you had watched a film 5 times in your school uniform, the film name [Ziddi] of Asha Parekh ji, It happened by chance or did you really have to watch her film, Were you her fan?
Moushumi Chatterjee Answer:
Yes, I watched that film five times, “I love Asha Parekh the way she did it”—the way she did that act with so much perfection. Which I used to rehearse at home in front of the mirror. Many people have different kinds of obsessions, but I was adamant to watch the film Ziddi and the subtle acting done by Asha ji, blowing her hair up, touching her nose with her finger, I really liked it. Earlier times were different because the songs of that time used to match the lyrics. And the songs went with the story of the film. They used to blend perfectly with the film. Today’s songs don’t go with the film, just like that, an item song is added. I am very lucky that I worked with directors like Shakti Samanta and Raj Khosla in my early days, so today it is very lacking. Entertainment can be classy, entertainment can give a message. And it can be soothing too. For example, if you pick up any song by Anurag, you will feel that every song goes with the story of the film.
Suyash Pachauri Question:
Among all your films, name one film that is very close to your heart.
Moushumi Chatterjee Answer:
If there is one film that is closest to my heart, it is Mahananda, in which my co-star was Farooq Sheikh. Mahananda was alive at that time, she was 99 or 101 years old at that time, It was shot in Goa, it is based on a true story, it is very close to my heart. Mahananda is a film based on the Devadasi. Whenever I am in a good mood, I like to watch the film Mahananda. So many rules were made to maintain religion. But its difference was seen when educated people and illiterate people understood it; many people were crushed. I am religious, but I do not believe in rituals, If you ask me to fast, I will eat 6 times a day. If you remain hungry, then this will happen; that will happen because I am born, I believe in myself, and I am educated. But I am very spiritual. I have read Hindu scriptures. Along with that, I have also read the Quran and the Bible, and I have kept it at home. If you look in the temple of my house, you will find all the gods; you will find Parsi God, Muslim God, and Christian God. God is in you, God is with you, don’t search outside, this is your worship. When you understand this. Then if you do any work, even if no one notices it, you will still like it. And it is not that I have understood this just now. This has been there since childhood. Because my parents have taught me since childhood. That is why I never hold back from talking. You yourself are educated. You alone are a beautiful person, you can make someone else like this too, but people feel insecure.
Suyash Pachauri Question:
There are many people in the film industry who have two faces. There are some people who have only one face but are like you from inside.
Moushumi Chatterjee Answer:
Look, the film industry is a world, but it is not real. If a pin falls here, a bomb will sound. There are two types of images, one is the image that other people create of you, that of what kind of person you are, and the other is that if you start seeing yourself from your own perspective, then you have imprisoned yourself. You yourself have become trapped in the creation made by you.The quiz ends here, but. In some of the recent reality shows, Moushumi Chatterjee is invited as a guest, and after a long time, millions of people are very happy to see their favourite superstar on the TV screen, like on The Kapil Sharma show, where she even shut up Kapil with her punch lines and humour. And that episode really went viral, and its broadcast ratings were very high. After some time she was seen on Dance Deewane reality show, then Indian Idol, and just a few months ago she appeared on Huma Qureshi’s show Madness Machayenge India Ko Hansaayenge. She rocked the show. People have this to say that every reality show should call Moushumi JEE. Her presence on the show adds to the charm of the show.
I have come to know that Colors TV/Endemol Shine India Productions has approached Moushumi Chatterjee as a contestant for the upcoming bigg boss season 18.
But as far as I understand, she comes from a great family, Hemant Kumar sahab, the great lyricist of the Indian film industry, who does not know him, a very cultured family, there is hardly anyone who has not heard Hemant da’s songs, so will Big Boss be able to convince such a personality to come on the show? Will Moushumi Chatterjee like to go to Big Boss reality show this season or not, Only time will tell, but because of the process of this reality show, it is difficult to say anything in terms of situation because Moushumi ji’s life has been an ideal life.
