When Bengali cinema of the 1970s is mentioned, Mithu Mukherjee is among the few faces that float before the audience’s eyes. Beauty, dance, acting and a personality of her own together made her one of the popular heroines of the time within a short period. Yet while still at the peak of that success, Mithu gradually withdrew from the world of cinema.
She was out of the public eye for a long time. With her death on Sunday, this actress’s colourful chapter has closed.
Mithu appeared just as Bengali cinema was moving from black and white into the colour era. She entered acting around 1971-72 with Chitto Bose’s film Shesh Parba. That first film did not make her a star, however. Wider recognition came with Dinen Gupta’s Morjina Abdullah.
Playing the character of Morjina in Morjina Abdullah, Mithu caught the audience’s attention. Her presence in the film’s songs and dances was among its principal attractions. From then on she began to secure her place in Bengali cinema.
Nishikanya in 1973 and Arabinda Mukhopadhyay’s Mouchak the following year made her more popular still. Her pairing with Ranjit Mallick in Mouchak was particularly praised by audiences. Alongside established artists such as Uttam Kumar and Sabitri Chatterjee, Mithu’s presence in the film drew attention in its own right.
Mithu was later paired with Ranjit Mallick again in the film Swayangsiddha. She acted in several more films including Kobi. She also had the opportunity to work with the great Uttam Kumar. Her performances alongside him in Hotel Snow Fox and Chander Kachhakachhi created interest among audiences at the time.
Alongside Bengali cinema, Mithu also showed her acting talent in Hindi films. She made her Bollywood debut in 1976 with Dulal Guha’s Khan Dost. She later acted in Basu Chatterjee’s Safed Jhooth, Dillagi and Do Ladke Dono Kadke.
The busy film world of Mumbai did not hold her for long, however, and she eventually returned to Bengal. By then a new generation of heroines was rising in Bengali cinema, with actresses such as Mahua Roy Choudhury and Debashree Roy making their place with audiences. Mithu was no longer as regularly busy as before.
After a long break, Mithu returned to the big screen with Chandra Barot’s film Ashrita. Released in 1990, it cast Kanwaljit Singh opposite her. Although the film was a commercial success, she did not return to regular acting afterwards. Her acting career effectively ended there.
Mithu spent the rest of her life largely out of sight. Although she lived in Mumbai, she kept away from the media and public appearances, so little information about her personal life emerged over time. Yet for all her distance from the screen, Mithu Mukherjee never faded from the audience’s memory.
Morjina in Morjina Abdullah, the lively character in Mouchak, and her moments on screen with Ranjit Mallick and Uttam Kumar have created a chapter of their own for Mithu in the history of Bengali cinema of the 1970s. Source: The Wall.