Season song

MOUSHUMI CHATTERJEE OPENS HER HEART OUT TO JITESH PILLAAI IN AN EMOTIONAL CONVERSATION

- JITESH PILLAAI

I'm in conversation today with someone who truly needs no introduction. To call her a legend almost feels like an understatement. But she, of course, would never accept such a title. Graceful, grounded, and utterly original, she has carved her own space in Indian cinema across decades. From the lyrical world of Ajoy Kar and Tarun Majumdar, to the evocative realms crafted by Gulzar, Aparna Sen, and Raj Khosla, she has moved effortlessly across styles, languages, and genres. She has shared screen space with multiple generations of actors and remained relevant, radiant, and remarkably versatile through it all. She of the winsome smile. She of the unforgettable performances. She of that unmistakable screen presence that can be soft as silk or searing as fire, depending on the moment. She is, quite simply, the one and only Moushumi Chatterjee. Moushumidi, thank you so much for joining me in this conversation, it's truly a privilege.

So let's talk about the time when you ran away from the shooting of your debut film Balika Badhu (1967)

Our house was just a wall away from Calcutta Mutual Studios. I'd climb over, fall, and someone would always catch me. The actors would ask, "Where did she come from?" and someone would reply, "That's her house." I'd roam around freely. Outside New Theatres, the darwan would usually shout, "Run!" But one day, he said, "Khoki, our sahab wants to see you." I shouted back, "Tell him to come down if he wants to talk!" He did—and decided then and there that he wanted me for his film. I was 11. From a conservative family, so films were off-limits. But I was a movie buff. My father and I had fought the night before and he'd said, "Do what you want." I took it literally. When asked, "Will you work in films?" I said, "Yes. But is my hero Uttam Kumar?" That's all I knew, Uttam-Suchitra films.

My father kept saying no. Then one day, Mrs Tarun Majumdar came calling...