Celebrity stories, facts and career updates. Explore F4U now →
Moushumi Chatterjee biographyFeatured Biography

Image source: StarsUnfolded

Celebrities

Moushumi Chatterjee Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

Quick Info

Date of birth26 April 1948

Age77 Years

BirthplaceBikrampur, West Bengal

ProfessionActor, Politician

NationalityIndian

Marital statusMarried

SpouseJayanta Mukherjee

FamilyTwo daughters: Payal Chatterjee (deceased 2019) and Megha Chatterjee

Moushumi Chatterjee Biography

Moushumi Chatterjee is an Indian actress and politician known for her work in Hindi and Bengali cinema. She began as a child actress in the late 1960s, won

Early life and background

Moushumi Chatterjee was born Indira Mukherjee (also recorded as Indira Chattopadhyay) on 26 April 1948 in Bikrampur, West Bengal. Raised in a family with an elder sister and a brother, her father Prantosh Chattopadhyaya served in the Indian Army and later worked for Indian Railways. She attended Sir Nripendra Nath Girls’ High School in Calcutta.

Her screen career began while she was still a schoolgirl. A director noticed her and offered her a role in a Bengali film; with family consent secured after initial reluctance, she made her debut as a young performer and soon began to split time between Bengali and Hindi projects. Her early exposure to film set life left a lasting impression: she has said she was uncomfortable with makeup and heavy costumes at the start of her career.

Career

Moushumi made her film debut in the Bengali feature Balika Badhu (1967), playing the character Rajani. The film established her as a promising young actress and led to further opportunities in both Bengali and Hindi cinema. She transitioned to Hindi film roles and television over the following decades, building a long-running career that includes notable work in both languages.

Across her career she appeared in Bengali films including Parineeta (1969), Ogu Bodhu Sundari (1981), Goynar Baksho (2013), and Sesh Sangbad (2016). Her Hindi film credits span several decades and include Roti Kapda Aur Makaan (1974), Swarg Narak (1978), Pyaasa Sawan (1981), Ghayal (1990), and Piku (2015). With actor Vinod Mehra she was paired in roughly ten films, among them Anuraag (1972), Us Paar (1974), Raftaar (1975), Umar Qaid (1975), and Do Jhoot (1975).

On television, Moushumi’s work includes Hindi serials such as Anuraag (1972), the DD National series Katha Sagar (1986), Talaash (1992), the Zee TV serial Albeli (1993), and a role in Jaana Na Dil Se Door (2016) on Star Plus.

Recognition and awards

Moushumi’s early work brought critical recognition. For Balika Badhu she won the Bengal Film Journalists’ Association Award for Best Actress and the Filmfare Award for Best Actress in 1968. Later accolades include the BFJA Best Supporting Actress award for Roti Kapda Aur Makaan (1974), a Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress – Bengali for Goynar Baksho (2014), a Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award (2015), a BFJA Lifetime Achievement Award (2016), the Power Brands Journalist Award (2018), and a Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Film Industry (2024).

Public profile

Moushumi Chatterjee has balanced acting with public life. She entered politics and contested the 2004 Lok Sabha election from the Kolkata North East constituency as a Congress candidate, losing to the CPI-M nominee Mohammed Salim. She later left Congress and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in 2019.

Her personal life has occasionally been covered in the media. She married Jayanta Mukherjee, a film director, producer and music composer, when she was still young; they raised two daughters, Megha Chatterjee and Payal Chatterjee. Payal worked for Disney and passed away on 13 December 2019 after a prolonged illness. Moushumi is known to be fond of dogs and has described bringing strays home as a child; she owns a pet dog named Dodo. She has also been associated with social welfare activities and has worked with Mother Teresa on charitable efforts.

Style and interests

Moushumi was one of the better-paid actresses of her era and has been featured on several magazine covers, including Filmfare and Star & Style. Over the years she has owned a variety of cars; reports note she bought a Mercedes at age 18 and later owned models such as the Hyundai Santro and Hyundai Accent. She has spoken about being emotional by nature and has described herself as someone who would cry in film scenes without glycerine.

Latest updates

Moushumi continues to be recognized for her long contribution to Indian cinema, most recently receiving a Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Award in 2024 for outstanding contribution to the film industry. Her later film appearances include Goynar Baksho (2013) and Sesh Sangbad (2016), and she has maintained a presence on television and in public life through political activity and social causes.

Recent Work

Goynar Baksho

Bengali film; she received a Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress – Bengali for this film

2013
Sesh Sangbad

Bengali film appearance

2016
Piku

Appeared in the Hindi film

2015

Career Highlights

  1. Debuted as Rajani in the Bengali film Balika Badhu (1967)
  2. Won Filmfare Award for Best Actress (1968) for Balika Badhu
  3. Acted across Hindi and Bengali cinema for multiple decades
  4. Contested Lok Sabha elections from Kolkata North East (2004)
  5. Joined BJP in 2019
  6. Received Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Award for Outstanding Contribution (2024)
?

Frequently Asked Questions

When was Moushumi Chatterjee born?

26 April 1948

What is Moushumi Chatterjee known for?

Actor, Politician

What is Moushumi Chatterjee’s marital status?

Married

Who is Moushumi Chatterjee married to?

Jayanta Mukherjee