Multiple Bollywood actresses chose to get hitched after reaching at the peak in their careers and continue to work in films after their marriage. But do you know who set the precent for this? A popular and acclaimed actress, who got married at 15, became a mother at 17, and became the first woman (aruably) to continue her career as the leading actress in Bollywood.
We are talking about Moushumi Chatterjee, who gave tremendous performances in Hindi and Bengali cinema in the 1970s and 1980s. She made her acting debut at the age of 10 in the 1967 Bengali film Balika Badhu, which dealt with the issue of child marriage against the backdrop of Indian freedom struggle. Her real name was Indira and Moushumi became her screen name.
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After Balika Badhu, Moushumi wished to complete her studies but married when she was in Class X. The actress shared the reason behind the same in an interview with Lehren earlier this year when she stated, "My father was very close to his elder sister and she was in the last stage of cancer. Her last wish was to see me getting married. So, my father-in-law suggested that the wedding should happen. I even skipped my exams. I also got a film around the same time. Everything was just falling into place."
Moushami tied the knot with Jayanta Mukherjee, the son of the legendary Indian music director and singer Hemant Rao. Afer her wedding, her popularity in the industry increased too. "At the age of 17, I became a mother. I got my own Mercedes. I didn’t even understand the meaning of success at that time. I just used to get happy seeing my face on the big screen", she added.
One of her most famous roles has been in Ghayal, in which she played Sunny Deol's sister-in-law. Sunny once was busy talking on phone and arrived late on sets. Moushumi scolded him heavily, asking him to not ruin his dad Dharmendra's reputation. The Gadar 2 actor went numb, and later apologised to the actress.
Chatterjee, , was replaced in many films due to her candid and blunt attitude. In the interview with Lehren, she said that she didn't want to be a 'yes woman' in the industry. Talking about how she had already signed Desh Premee and Barsaat Ki Ek Raat but was asked to move out, Moushumi stated, "I signed them but then I was out of the picture. Because I never compromise. I had to be ‘yes woman’ on everything. And I can’t do it. Even a lot of elder heroines adviced me that you have good looks and talent but you are not in the good books of the heroes."
In her last Hindi film, the actress was seen sharing the screen with Deepika Padukone, Amitabh Bachchan, and late Irrfan Khan in Shoojit Sircar's critically and commercially acclaimed film Piku in 2015. Moushumi has since then appeared in multiple Bengali movies.
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