Distraught Moushumi Chatterjee called husband when asked to wear revealing outfit during shoot: ‘They have taken away all my clothes, I feel naked'

Indian Express

5 days ago

Although she emerged as one of the biggest names in the film industry during the 1970s, appearing in numerous movies alongside major stars, Moushumi Chatterjee never 'compromised her dignity'. Not only did she firmly refuse to do anything on screen that made her uncomfortable, but she also didn't hesitate to confront anyone who attempted to cross her personal boundaries in real life, even if that meant literally slapping them back into place.
Recently, the actor recalled an instance when she was pressured to wear revealing clothing for a scene, which shattered one of her personal vows and left her in tears. From the beginning of her career, Moushumi had resolved not to wear short or revealing clothes in films. So when she was suddenly handed such a costume during the shoot of one of her movies, she felt heartbroken and just wanted to run away. The actor revealed that she immediately called her husband and pleaded with him to send her back to their hometown of Kolkata, saying she 'didn't want to work' anymore.
The incident took place on the set of director Raj Khosla's Kuchhe Dhaage (1973), in which she starred alongside Vinod Khanna and Kabir Bedi. Moushumi said she only learned about the costume when it was handed to her by designer Mani J Rabadi. Upon receiving a backless blouse with just strings and a short ghagra, she broke down in tears.
'Seeing those clothes, I felt as if I had become naked. I started crying and made a call to my husband that please send me back to Kolkata. I don't want to work here. They have taken away all my clothes. And he came running and made me understand that it was alright, and then I completed the film,' she shared during a chat with Filmfare.
Prior to Kuchhe Dhaage, Moushumi Chatterjee had apparently turned down the opportunity to work with ace filmmaker Hrishikesh Mukherjee in Guddi, as the character was required to wear short skirts.
'I didn't do Guddi because the heroine was supposed to wear a short skirt. My father said no because, firstly, this was a Hindi film, and because we didn't know who Hrihsikesh Mukherjee was,' she recalled. The role eventually went to Jaya Bachchan, and it changed the trajectory of her career. Moushumi Chatterjee and Hrishikesh Mukherjee later joined forces in the television serial Talaash (1992).