The actor with Ranjit Mullick in ‘Mouchak’
Expressive, spirited, and effortless, she rose to stardom after debuting in the 1971 Bengali film ‘Shesh Parbo’. Hits like ‘Marjina Abdulla’ (1973), ‘Mouchak’ (1974) and ‘Swayamsiddha’ (1975) established her stardom before she entered Bollywood with ‘Khaan Dost’ (1976) and ‘Safed Jhooth’ (1977), ultimately stepping away in the 1990s. Her breakout role as Marjina in Dinen Gupta’s 1972 film ‘Marjina Abdulla’ catapulted her to stardom. Audiences adored her in Ashutosh Bandyopadhyay’s ‘Nishikanya’ (1973) with Soumitra Chatterjee, Arabinda Mukhopadhyay’s ‘Mouchak’ (1974) alongside Uttam Kumar and Ranjit Mullick, and ‘Swayamsiddha’ (1975) with Mullick too. Yet, the actor retreated completely from acting after ‘Ashrita’ (1990).
I remember going to her grihapravesh at Ashoka Apartment where Amjad Khan too had come down,” she said. Director Prabir Roy highlighted the “sensual charm in her presence” that set her apart from the rest. Last year too, I met her when she came during the Pujas to stay at Ashoka apartment,” Roy said. Anjali, her sister-in-law, revealed that she was both “choosy” and “moody”. The final rupture came when she “grew disillusioned” and “fed up” with the Bengal film industry while producing a project under a banner named after her mother, Bela Mukherjee. Mithu, who co-wrote the film’s scenario, refused to compromise Pratibha Basu’s story from which the film was adapted,” he said. “Although critically acclaimed and commercially successful, its treatment at regional awards where the film was pitted against ‘Beder Meye Jyotsna’ left her deeply hurt,” he said.
“We were tenants downstairs and went to see her debut film, ‘Shesh Parbo’. She had such beautiful eyes. Her elder brother, Biplab Mukherjee, now living on Central Avenue, received word at dawn. She recovered, but the cancer relapsed three years back. Daughter of an air force officer, Mithu belonged to the Mukherjee family of Pathuriaghata Street before shifting to Goranhata. The family owned a printing press and other businesses. Mamaji, producer of ‘Shesh Parbo’ and a friend of her uncle, had been seeking a new face when he cast her. Sonali Bose Gupta, who co-starred with her in ‘Bandhan’, remembered that the producer was so impressed by her debut that he urged her father to direct the project and cast her following a successful screen test. “Goshto Kumar designed her Marjina costume, and wardrobe arrived from Mumbai for the song ‘Hai hai pran jae’. She was dedicated, happily moody, and quick to learn. She also proactively helped in flood relief. “Her eyes and face spoke volumes. “Getting the right actors to pair with her was not easy. She wouldn’t accept a role if she didn’t like the story or the hero. “A lead actor had demanded script changes, refusing to romance a character of a domestic help. Instead, she brought in actor Kanwaljit from Mumbai, hired Chandra Barot of ‘Don’ fame to direct, and secured Hridaynath Mangeshkar for the score.
“She went to the US for cancer treatment before the pandemic and got stuck when flights were discontinued. We lost her on Monday morning in Mumbai,” he said.
