‘Everyone wanted me as their wife’: Moushumi Chatterjee on getting married at 15 after Balika Badhu

In a conversation with NDTV, the actress recalled how her personal life changed rapidly during her teenage years, as her marriage to Jayanta Mukherjee was finalised around the same time her acting career had just begun.

‘Everything happened for a reason’

Moushumi revealed that she was studying in Class 10 when she got engaged. Recalling the events that led to her marriage, she said, “Everything happened for a reason. I was in the 10th standard, but I was engaged after Balika Badhu only because my father-in-law, Hemanta Mukherjee, was the music director of that film. So their family and our family became a thing. And at that time, everybody wanted to make me their daughter-in-law; everyone wanted me as their wife.”

She further shared how overwhelming the attention had become at the time. “It was crazy. Subhey se shaam tak line hoti thi. That’s why I’m thoroughly spoiled. And then my badi bua (aunt) — I was very attached to her; she used to live in Bhawanipur. And she was in the last stage of cancer when we got to know. She held my father-in-law’s hand and said, ‘Hemanta Babu, can I see her wedding?’ Because I was the last girl from our family, my father-in-law said, ‘Yes, you will.’ And within a month, the marriage took place.”

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The actress also recalled moving to Bombay after her wedding and how her family tried to make the transition easier for her.

“So that’s why I came here, Bombay. I bought my dollhouse, my small doggy. And then one of my friends also went back and gave her 10th exam because she also missed one year. She was with me. My father-in-law ensured I got everything. I should not feel left alone. I used to play with my dollhouse the whole day. My father was very protective of me. He was like a mother and father, both here in Bombay.”

Moushumi Chatterjee on becoming a mother at 17

Over the years, Moushumi Chatterjee has often spoken about how quickly life changed for her during those formative years. In an earlier interview with Lehren, the actress had revealed that she skipped her exams around the same time her marriage was fixed.

She said, “At the age of 17, I became a mother. I got my own Mercedes. I didn’t even understand the meaning of success at that time. I just used to get happy seeing my face on the big screen.”

Moushumi Chatterjee and Jayanta Mukherjee had two daughters, Megha and Payal. Payal, who was diagnosed with diabetes at a young age, passed away in 2019 at the age of 45.

Disclaimer: This article reports on Moushumi Chatterjee’s personal experiences as shared in interviews. References to early marriage reflect the social context of that period and are not intended to promote or endorse child marriage.