Moshumi Chatterjee  Fights For Her Daughter’s Life

One always  thinks of Moushumi Chatterjee as a happy-go-luck chatterbox  who featured in a  series of hits in the 1970s and 80s with the  top stars  of the time. Never known to bow and scrape for any role  or to  play up to any hero, she has ticked off mega-artistes like Gulzar and Rajesh Khanna at the risk of  losing out on  plum roles.

Not so  long ago she accused Aparna Sen  of being jealous of her looks while directing her the Bengali film The Chinese Wife.

Irrepressible and  ebullient , Moushumi is now struggling to contain her grief as her elder daughter Payal lies  comatose  , a condition brought on by chronic diabetes.

Moushumi  quite her blooming as a leading lady to look after her two daughters Payal and Megha after she married legendary music composer-singer Hemant Mukherjee’s son Jayanta.

In 2016, yesteryears’ popular  actress, last seen  in Shoojt Sircar’s Piku,  found her world falling apart. Her elder daughter Payal who suffered from chronic diabetes went into a coma. Prior to this Payal was  doing well for herself.

In an interview some months  prior  to the setback, Moushumi was full of beans as she said to me, “By God’s grace  both my daughters Payal and Megha are  doing well in their respective careers. Neither  is keen on acting.”

 Some  months  later Payal’s health deteriorated. Married to one Dicky  Mehta Payal is apparently being given home care by her in-laws, a fact that has not gone down well  with Payal’s parents Moushumi and Jayanta Mukherjee(singer-composer Hemannta Mukherjee’s son). They’ve moved court to get medical  custody  of their daughter.

While Moushumi remains understandably inaccessible a friend  spoke on her behalf. “We  are not in touch with her on a regular basis. Indu(that’s Moushumi’s real name) has been pretty much  in her own world.She hasn’t been in touch with any  of her friends.We did get to  know  of her daughter’s health . Payal’s condition has shattered Moushumi and her  husband Jayanta. To make matters worse the couple’s relationship with Payal’s  in-laws  is far  from amicable. This is a very tough time  for Moushumi.”

Always  known to be giggling and smiling Moushumi’s  unvarnished frankspeak and hearty laughter are still remembered fondly by her friends in the  film industry.For years now  Moushumi has been missing from the  industry’s radar. She was last seen in Shoojit Sircar’ Piku.

Ashoke Pandit, chief advisor of the Federation Of  Western India Cine Employees(FWICE) feel the issue is far too complicated. “I don’t think there is a financial issue. The ailing girl’s husband is looking after her. Moushumiji has accused her daughter’s husband  of  not allowing her to meet her daughter,an allegation stoutly denied by the husband. Even I’ve got to know  from my own sources that  there is no truth to the allegation.We would love to help. But we don’t know the real issue.”