Moushumi Chatterjee, in a recent interview, shared how she nearly decided to quit films after being asked to wear a revealing outfit for a shoot.
Veteran actress, Moushumi Chatterjee is known for her powerful on-screen performances in films like Anuraag, Roti Kapda Aur Makaan, and Benaam in the '70s. She was one of the top actresses from that golden era of Bollywood. Moushumi worked with big names in the industry, including Rekha, Amitabh Bachchan, Vinod Khanna, and Jaya Bachchan, among others. The actress was always known to be a person of values and she had established some personal boundaries for herself when she decided to enter films. However, in a recent interview, the actress recalled how her vow of not wearing revealing clothes on-screen was broken during a project.
Moushumi Chatterjee recently sat down for an interview with Filmfare where she recalled an emotional experience during the shoot of her 1973 film, Kuchhe Dhaage, directed by Raj Khosla. She explained that she was given a backless blouse tied only with strings and a short ghagra for a scene. Wearing those revealing clothes went against her boundary to not wear bold outfits on-screen. The outfit was delivered by her by the film's designer, Mani J Rabadi, before the shoot without any prior notice. Recalling her first reaction to that outfit, Moushumi said:
"Seeing those clothes, I felt as if I had become naked. I started crying and made a call to my husband to please send me back to Kolkata. I don't want to work here. They have taken away all my clothes."
Hearing about Moushumi's dilemma and sudden decision, the actress's husband rushed to the set to support her. He listened to her problem and helped her calm down. He made her understand that it was fine and after his encouragement, the actress completed shooting for the film. For those unaware, Kuchhe Dhaage also starred Kabir Bedi, Vinod Khanna, Trilok Kumar, and Nirupa Roy.
Prior to Kuchhe Dhaage, Moushumi Chatterjee revealed that she was offered an opportunity to play the titular role in 1971's cult film, Guddi, which eventually became a breakthrough in Jaya Bachchan's career. The actress rejected the film because her character in the film wore skirts, and she had vowed not to wear short clothes on-screen. At the same time, her father didn't know about the Hindi film industry or the film's director, Hrishikesh Mukherjee. In turn, the filmmaker tried to ruin her career after she turned down his film.
Moushumi Chatterjee made her debut with the 1967 film, Balika Badhu during her preteens, which made her a star in the Bengali film industry. After the film, she tied the knot with music director, Hemant Kumar's son, Jayant Mukherjee. In a couple of years, she made her debut in the Hindi films with Anuraag in 1972. It proved to be a major success and went on to work in prominent films like Roti Kapda Aur Makaan, Benaam, and Angoor, among others.
What do you think about Moushumi Chatterjee's revelations about being asked to wear bold clothes on-screen?
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