Veteran actor Moushumi ChatterjeeHaving shared a long marriage of more than five decades with music composer Jayanta Mukherjee, he recently reflected on how his life changed dramatically during his teenage years. The actress, who married at 15 and became a mother at 17, rose to become one of Hindi cinema’s most celebrated stars in the 1970s, starring alongside icons such as Rajesh Khanna. Sanjeev Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan In films like ‘Roti Kapda Aur Makaan’, ‘Angoor’ and ‘Kacche Dhaage’.Moushumi opened up about how her engagement and marriage happened soon after her acting debut in ‘Balika Badhu’. Recalling that phase of her life, the actor said in an interview to NDTV, “Everything happened for a reason. I was in 10th standard, but I got engaged after Balika Badhu only because of my father-in-law. Hemanta Mukherjeehe was the music director of that film. So their family and our family became a thing. And at that time, everyone wanted to make me their daughter; everyone wanted me as a wife.”He further described how his attention around her became overwhelming at that time. “It was crazy. Subhey se shaam tak line hoti thi. That’s why I’m totally devastated. And then my badi bua (aunt), I was very attached to her; she lived in Bhawanipur. And she was in the last stage of cancer when we met her. She held my father-in-law’s hand and said, ‘Hemanta Babu marriage? Because I was the last girl in our family, my father-in-law said, ‘Yes, you will.’ And after a month, the marriage took place.”Moushumi also recalled that she shifted to Bombay after her marriage and her family made sure she felt comfortable in an unfamiliar city. Sharing these memories, she said, “So that’s why I came here, Bombay. I bought my doll house, my little dog. And then one of my friends also came back and took his 10th exam because he also missed a year. He was with me. My father-in-law made sure I got everything. I shouldn’t feel alone. I played with my dollhouse all day. My father was very protective of me. He was like mother and father, both here in Bombay.’Over the years, the actress has often spoken candidly about how fast adulthood came for her. In an earlier interview with Lehren, she recalled missing her exams around the time her wedding was arranged. Reflecting on being a young mother, while also experiencing the stars, Moushumi said, “I became a mother at 17. I got my own Mercedes. At that time I did not understand the meaning of success. I was happy to see my face on the big screen.”Moushumi Chatterjee and Jayanta Mukherjee had two daughters, Megha and Payal. Their young daughter, Payal, who was diagnosed with diabetes at a young age, died in 2019 at the age of 45.
