Moushumi recalls her bad experience working with Manoj Kumar
Moushumi recalls her bad experience working with Manoj Kumar
After the sad passing away of Manoj Kumar, Moushumi Chatterjee recalls her ‘bad experience’ working with the actor-filmmaker. It was on the song ‘Hai Hai Yeh Majboori’ from film” Roti Kapada Aur Makaan picturised on Zeenat Aman.
Moushumi played the role of Tulsi in the film. Zeenat Aman featured in the film’s song ‘Hai Hai Yeh Majboori’.
Moushumi was very much present at Manoj Kumar’s residence to pay her last respects to a human being of the stature of Manoj Kumar. Everyone spoke good about the ‘Bharat Kumar’. Moushumi asserted that agreed Manoj Kumar was an excellent director with an unbeatable music sense. But she had a bad experience regarding the song Hai hai yeh majboori. See, you have to be convinced you have to use your common sense, the song Hai Yeh Majboori wasn’t meant for Zeenat Aman but for her(Moushumi).
The language in the song Teri do Takiya di naakri…it was suited to her(Moushumi) character Tulsi who was rustic Punjabi in the film. If you see her other song in the film “Mehngai maar gayi with her(Moushumi)and Premnathji. It doesn’t suit Zeenat, no? Now what happened was, amidst that time she was pregnant with her first daughter. It was her first baby and it was not planned, she didn’t want to abort the baby. Chandra Barotji (assistant to Manoj Kumar) thought she was not interested in the film. Since she (Moushumi) was married to Hemant Kumar’s son, was not ambitious, but disinterested. So he was a little bit upset with Moushumi Chatterjee. He is no more and she can’t talk nicely about him because truth is truth, truth many people can’t take nicely..
As Manoj Kumar was upset with Moushumi, she claims she was not given a trophy at the jubilee function of Roti Kapada Aur Makaan. “Shashi Kapoor himself, who is also no more, had told her at the jubilee function of Roti Kapada Aur Makaan, that everyone was getting a trophy except Moushumi. She. attended the function and as Shashi said, she was the only one not given a trophy. Shashi said that everybody thought you are not interested in your acting career. Look, I was never very ambitious. But I worked hard, balancing my responsibilities as a daughter-in-law, wife, mother and actress. Family comes first, as it should for everyone.
But she worked hard and by God’s grace, in spite of the rumours spread to sabotage her career, she gave hits all through her career. She never allowed her films to suffer for her pregnancy.
The song with Premnathji ‘Mehngayi maar gayi’, at that time also she was 5-months pregnant, and even then sang in that too, two-three such songs that people advised her not to. She did not compromise while
was working. When producers had to compromise or adjust a bit, and if that affected the films amidst her pregnancy I wouldoʻ return the signing amount.”
Regardless her grievance, Moushumi admits Manoj Kumar was a maestro of movie making. “He was an excellent director, very skilled director and he did his homework m very nicely and rest he had a very good assistant(Chandra Barot), his camera sense was excellent. She remembers
he shot a full scene in one take. There was one word in a scene that was coming out with a heavy Bengali accent. Chandraji said we will fix it in the dubbing. But Manojji was adamant that I get it right during the shooting, no matter how time it took. That was the kind of director he was, a perfectionist.”
News Edit KV Raman
