Moushumi Chatterjee was a reigning queen of the celluloid in the 1970s. The actress worked with the biggest names, from Amitabh Bachchan to Rajesh Khanna.
Rajesh Khanna, who is often called the ‘First Superstar of Hindi Cinema’, might have had his charm work on scores of women, but Moushumi Chatterjee spilled some hard facts as she called him ‘a spoilt brat’-in all good humour.
In an exclusive conversation with NDTV, Moushumi Chatterjee revisited her days with the superstar and said, “He was a spoilt brat. His success was always in his head.”
Moushumi Chatterjee and Rajesh Khanna in Humshakal
Is It Lonely At The Top?
Rajesh Khanna’s decline from stardom, which peaked in the mid-1970s, is a story that went far and beyond. The angry young man Amitabh Bachchan was making his way through the crowd, whereas the romantic hero Rajesh Khanna was grappling with the shifting gaze of the audience-from him-that catapulted into frustration, loneliness and alcohol to numb the feeling altogether.
When asked if she noticed it too-that he was lonely, maybe?
Moushumi Chatterjee says, “No, it is all karma. The way you design your life, and the way you pretend to be what you are not, and the way you respond to all relationships.”
She continues, “If you say everybody is alone, you should know how to enjoy your alone time. Don’t feel lonely. I enjoy my aloneness. And I see that kind of vacuum; everybody goes through it in life. Take Kishore Kumar, Madhubala-anyone-they all went through it. Whatever is happening, it’s all part of your life. It is not your entire life.”
On Competition Back In The Day
The film industry has evolved. Today, actresses bond with each other as they pose for the paparazzi, collaborate on Instagram Reels and embody the epitome of sisterhood.
But the background noise about competition, and actors being pitted against each other, has been a conversation for eons, deeply embedded behind the scenes in the industry.
Moushumi Chatterjee shares, “Whoever was at the top felt whatever they said had to be obeyed. It was always there. Everybody who rules feels they can rule everything.”
About Rajesh Khanna And Moushumi Chatterjee Films
Some of Moushumi Chatterjee and Rajesh Khanna’s notable films include Prem Bandhan (1979) and Anuraag (1972). Other titles include Bhola Bhala (1978), Humshakal (1974), and later films like Ghar Parivaar (1991), which were credited with a good album.
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