Biswajit Chatterjee (born 14 December 1936), known

mononymously A mononym is a name composed of only one word. An individual who is known and addressed by a mononym is a mononymous person. In some cases, a mononym selected by an individual may have originally been from a polynym, a word which refers to one o ...

as Biswajit, is an Indian actor, producer, director, singer and politician known for his work in

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of North India, northern, Central India, centr ...

and Bengali cinema.

Early career

After films in

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comm ...

including ''Mayamrigo'' (1960) and ''Dui Bhai'' (1961), Biswajit relocated to Bombay. In 1962, he performed in the film '' Bees Saal Baad'', which was followed by ''Kohraa'', ''Bin Badal Barsat'', ''Majboor'', ''Kaise Kahoon'' and ''Paisa Ya Pyaar''. His filmography includes ''

Mere Sanam ''Mere Sanam'' (English: ''My Lover'' hi, मेरे सनम) is a 1965 Hindi film starring Biswajeet, Asha Parekh, Mumtaz, Pran and Rajendra Nath. The film was a hit at the box office, especially because of the musical score by Majrooh Su ...

'' (1965), ''

Shehnai The ''shehnai'' is a musical instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent. It is made of wood, with a double reed at one end and a metal or wooden flared bell at the other end.Asha Parekh Asha Parekh (born 2 October 1942) is a retired Indian actress, film director, and producer who appeared in many commercially successful films throughout her career. She was the highest paid actress of her time and was one of the most successful ...

Waheeda Rehman Waheeda Rehman (born 3 February 1938) is an Indian actress and dancer. Regarded as one of Hindi cinema's finest actresses, Rehman's accolades include a National Film Award and three Filmfare Awards. Rehman was honoured with the Padma Shri by G ...

, Mumtaz,

Mala Sinha Alda Sinha (born 11 November 1936), better known by her stage name Mala Sinha is a former Indian actress who has worked in Hindi, Bengali and Nepali films. Initially starting her career with regional cinema, she went on to become a top leadin ...

and

Rajshree Rajashree Shantaram (born 8 October 1944), known as Rajshree, is an Indian actress of Bollywood. She is best known for her work in the movies '' Janwar'' and '' Brahmachari''. Personal life Rajshree is the daughter of acclaimed Indian filmma ...

. Biswajit appeared in

Rekha Bhanurekha Ganesan (born 10 October 1954), better known by her stage name Rekha, is an Indian actress who appears predominantly in Hindi films. Acknowledged as one of the finest actresses in Indian cinema, she has starred in more than 180 fil ...

's debut film ''Anjana Safar'' (1969) (later re-titled ''

Do Shikaari ''Do Shikaari'' (Two Warriors) is a 1979 Bollywood film directed by Kuljit Pal. The film stars Vinod Khanna and Rekha. Production for the film, originally named ''Anjana Safar'', started in 1969, but ran into censorship problems. Cast *Biswaje ...

''). Though ''Anjana Safar'' was blocked by the censors and not released until 10 years later, a scene from the film which shows him kissing Rekha appeared on the pages of the Asian edition of ''

Life Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for Cell growth, growth, reaction to Stimu ...

'' magazine. Rekha had complained that during filming of one of the romantic scenes, Biswajit unexpectedly kissed her for 5 minutes against her will, and the entire crew started cheering and whistling while she was in tears. Between acting in

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...

movies, Biswajit has returned to Calcutta to act in Bengali films, including ''

Chowringhee Chowringhee (also Chourangi) is a neighbourhood of Central Kolkata, in Kolkata district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Chowringhee Road (officially Jawaharlal Nehru Road) runs on its western side. A neighbourhood steeped in history, it is a ...

'' (1968) and ''

Garh Nasimpur Garh is a village in Bedipur Gram panchayat in Bilhaur Tehsil, Kanpur Nagar district, Uttar Pradesh, India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the ...

'' with

Uttam Kumar Uttam Kumar ( bn, উত্তম কুমার; born Arun Kumar Chattopadhyay; 3 September 1926 – 24 July 1980), popularly known as the Mahanayak, was an Indian actor, producer, director, script writer, composer, and singer who predom ...

and ''Kuheli'' and much later, ''

Srimaan Prithviraj ''Shriman Prithviraj'' ( bn, শ্রীমান পৃথ্বীরাজ; ) is a 1973 Indian Bengali romantic comedy film starring Ayan Banerjee and Mahua Roy Choudhury, and directed by Tarun Majumdar, featuring teenage love. It has a cult ...

'' (1973), ''Jai Baba Taraknath'' (1977) and '' Amar Geeti '' (1983). Apart from acting, Biswajeet also sings and performs in concerts. In the 1970s, he cut a disc of two Bengali modern numbers ''Tomar Chokher Kajole'' and ''Jay Jay Din'', both composed by

Salil Choudhury Salil Chowdhury (19 November 1925 – 5 September 1995) was an Indian music director, songwriter, lyricist, writer and poet who predominantly composed for Bengali, Hindi and Malayalam films. He composed music for films in 13 languages. Th ...

Later career

In 1975, Biswajit produced and directed his own film, '' Kahte Hai Mujhko Raja''. The film besides him starred

Dharmendra Dharam Singh Deol (born 8 December 1935), also known mononymously as Dharmendra, is an Indian actor, producer and politician who is known for his work in Hindi films. Known as the first " He-Man" of Bollywood, Dharmendra has worked in over 301 ...

Hema Malini Hema Malini (born 16 October 1948) is an Indian actress, director, producer, and politician. She is primarily known for her work in Hindi films. Known for starring in both comic and dramatic roles, she is one of the most popular and successful ...

Shatrughan Sinha Shatrughan Prasad Sinha (born 9 December 1945) is an Indian actor and politician. He is a Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha from Asansol constituency as a member of All India Trinamool Congress (TMC). Earlier he was elected as Member of Parliame ...

, and

. He had done one film ''Anjana Safar'' with Rekha previously.

R.D. Burman Rahul Dev Burman (27 June 1939 – 4 January 1994) was an Indian music director who is considered one of the most influential composers of India. From the 1960s to the 1990s, Burman composed musical scores for 331 films. Burman did major work ...

composed the music. Later, he went back to acting. He will make a film on

Netaji Subash Chandra Bose Subhas Chandra Bose ( ; 23 January 1897 – 18 August 1945 * * * * * * * * *) was an Indian nationalist whose defiance of British authority in India made him a hero among Indians, but his wartime alliances with Nazi Germany and Imperia ...

's life (in Hindi, English and Bengali) and will act in a new untitled Hindi film (murder mystery) with his younger daughter actress Prima Chatterjee. He has also acted in a Hindi Stage Play, Ulta Seedha, produced directed written by wife Ira Chatterjee. In the play, he acted with his daughter Prima.

Political career

In the 2014 general elections, Biswajit contested from

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the NCT Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati B ...

as an

All India Trinamool Congress The All India Trinamool Congress ( English: All India Grassroots Congress; AITC), colloquially the Trinamool Congress ( TMC) is an Indian political party which is predominantly active in West Bengal. The party is led by Mamata Banerjee, the cu ...

candidate. He finished 7th, securing only 909 votes. In 2019, he joined

Bharatiya Janata Party The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; ; ) is a political party in India, and one of the two major List of political parties in India, Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. Since 2014, it has been the List of ruling p ...

Personal life

Biswajit has a son and a daughter by his first wife, the late Ratna Chatterjee. His son

Prosenjit Prosenjit Chatterjee (born 30 September 1962) is an Indian actor and producer. He is widely regarded as one of the leading actors in modern Bengali cinema. He predominantly works in Bengali cinema . He is the son of veteran Bollywood actor Bisw ...

and elder daughter

Pallavi Chatterjee Pallavi Chatterjee (born 30 October 1965) is an Indian actress and producer who is known for her works in Bollywood and Bengali Film Industry. She is best known for her role as Brinda in Rituparno Ghosh's '' Dosar'' (2006). She is the recipient ...

are also actors in the

Bengali Film Industry Tollywood, also known as Cinema of West Bengal, is an Indian film industry of Bengali-language motion pictures. It is based in the Tollygunge region of Kolkata, West Bengal, India. The origins of the nickname Tollywood, a portmanteau of the w ...

. Biswajit lives in Mumbai with his second wife, Ira Chatterjee who is producer, director, writer of stage plays and is owner of Dream Theatre. Their younger daughter, Prima Chatterjee is a film actress, theatre actress and a dance performer.

Filmography

*''Kangsa'' (as Lord Krishna) (1958) *''Daak Harkaraa'' (1959) *''Natun Fasal'' (1960) *''Badhu'' (as the younger brother of Basanta Chaudhuri) (1962) *'' Maya Mriga'' (1960) *''Kathin Maya'' (1961) *''

Dui Bhai Driving under the influence (DUI)—also called driving while impaired, impaired driving, driving while intoxicated (DWI), drunk driving, operating while intoxicated (OWI), operating under the influence (OUI), operating vehicle under the infl ...

'' (1961) *''Nav Diganta'' (1962) *''Sesh Paryanta'' *''Dhoop Chhaya'' (1962) *'' Dada Thakur'' (1962) *'' Bees Saal Baad'' (1962) *'' Bin Badal Barsaat'' (1963) *''

April Fool April Fools' Day or All Fools' Day is an annual custom on 1 April consisting of practical jokes and hoaxes. Jokesters often expose their actions by shouting "April Fools!" at the recipient. Mass media can be involved in these pranks, which may b ...

'' (1964) *''

'' (1965) *''Do Dil'' (1965) *'' Yeh Raat Phir Na Aayegi'' (1966) *'' Sagaai'' (1966) *''

Biwi Aur Makan Biwi (meaning wife in Urdu) may refer to: Films & TV Series *Biwi-O-Biwi, a 1981 romantic-comedy Hindi movie. * Biwi No.1, a 1999 Indian Hindi-language comedy film. *Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster, a 2011 Indian romantic thriller film *Saheb, Biwi Au ...

'' (1966) *''

Aasra ''Aasra'' () is a 1966 Hindi movie produced by Madan Mohla and directed by Satyen Bose. The film stars Biswajeet, Mala Sinha, Balraj Sahni, Nirupa Roy and Jagdeep. The film's music is by Laxmikant-Pyarelal. The movie is loosely based on the 196 ...

'' (1966) .... Amar Kumar *'' Night in London'' (1967) .... Jeevan *'' Nai Roshni'' (1967) .... Prakash *'' Jaal'' (1967) *''

Hare Kanch Ki Chooriyan ''Hare Kanch Ki Chooriyan'' (Green Glass Bangles) is a 1967 Hindi, social family drama film, produced and directed by Kishore Sahu. The story, screenplay and dialogue were written by Kishore Sahu. Shankar Jaikishan composed the music while the ...

'' (1967) *'' Ghar Ka Chirag'' (1967) *''Vaasna'' (1968) *'' Kismat'' (1968) *'' Kahin Din Kahin Raat''(1968) *''

Do Kaliyaan ''Do Kaliyaan'' () is a 1968 Indian Hindi-language film directed by R. Krishnan and S. Panju. The film stars Mala Sinha, Biswajeet, Mehmood, Om Prakash and Neetu Singh. It is a remake of the 1965 Tamil film ''Kuzhandaiyum Deivamum'' which itsel ...

'' (1968) *''

'' (1968) *''Monihaar'' *''Tamanna'' (1969) *''Raahgir'' (1969) *''

Pyar Ka Sapna ''Pyar ka Sapna'' () is a 1969 Bollywood film starring Ashok Kumar, Mala Sinha, Biswajeet, Helen and others. The film was produced by T.C. Dewan and directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, with music by Chitragupta, lyrics and dialogues by Rajendra ...

'' (1969) *''

Paisa Ya Pyaar ''Paisa Ya Pyar'' () is a 1969 Indian Hindi-language film directed by Jawar N. Sitaraman. The film stars Ashok Kumar, Biswajeet, Mala Sinha, Tanuja and Shashikala. The lyrics were written by Sahir Ludhianvi. The film was a remake of the Tamil fil ...

'' (1969) *'' Pardesi'' (1970) *''

Ishq Par Zor Nahin Ishq Par Zor Nahin is a 1970 Hindi romantic movie (based on love triangle story) produced by Suresh Saigal and directed by Ramesh Saigal. The film stars Dharmendra, Sadhana, Biswajeet, Kamini Kaushal, Leela Mishra, Abhi Bhattacharya, Jag ...

'' (1970) *''Garh Nasimpur'' *''

Main Sunder Hoon ''Main Sunder Hoon'' () is a 1971 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by R. Krishnan and Nazir Hussain. The film stars Mehmood and Leena Chandavarkar. It is a remake of the 1964 Tamil film ''Server Sundaram''. Plot Sunder works in a hotel ...

'' (1971) *''Raktakto Bangla'' (1972) (Bangladesh-India joint production film) *''Shararat'' (1972) *''Chaitali'' (1972) *''

Kuheli ''Kuheli'' (''Bengali'': কুহেলী) is a 1971 Bengali suspense thriller movie directed by Tarun Majumdar. The film stars Biswajit Chatterjee, Chhaya Devi, Sumita Sanyal Ajitesh Bandopadhyay, Satya Bandyopadhyay, Shekhar Chatterjee, Utp ...

'' (1971) *'' Main Sundar Hoon'' (1971) *''Sriman Prithviraj'' (1973) *''Mehmaan'' (1973) *''

Ami Sirajer Begam ''Ami Sirajer Begam'' is a 1973 Indian Bengali historical film directed by Sushil Mukhopadhyay based on a same name novel of '' Sree Parabat Sree Parabat or Sri Parabat (1 January 1927 – 2 November 2010) was a Bengali language, ...

'' (1973) *''Raktatilak'' (1974) *''Prantarekha'' (1974) *'' Do Aankhen'' (1974) *''

Phir Kab Milogi ''Phir Kab Milogi'' () is a 1974 Bollywood romance film directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee. The music for the film was composed by R.D. Burman. Plot Sapna (Mala Sinha) is having fun meeting her employee Rajesh (Biswajit) as Paro, and then, ...

'' (1974) *''

Kahte Hain Mujhko Raja ''Kahtey Hain Mujhko Raja'' () is a 1975 Bollywood film directed and produced by Biswajeet. The film stars Biswajeet, Rekha in lead roles, along with Dharmendra, Hema Malini, Shatrughan Sinha in supporting roles. The music was composed by R. D ...

'' (1975) (Also director of the film) *'' Bajrangbali'' (1976) *'' Naami Chor'' (1977) *''Baba Taraknath'' (1977) *''

'' (1979) *''Hum kadam'' (1980) *''Amar Geeti'' (1983) *'' Anand Aur Anand'' (1984) *''

Saaheb ''Saaheb'' () is a 1985 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by Anil Ganguly. It is a remake of the 1981 Bengali film ''Saheb'' directed by Bijoy Bose. The film stars Anil Kapoor, Amrita Singh, Raakhee, Deven Verma, Utpal Dutt, Biswajit, ...

'' (1985) *'' Harishchandra Shaibya'' (1985) *'' Krishna-Krishna'' (1986) *'' Allah Rakha'' (1986) *''

Sadak Chhap ''Sadak Chhap'' is a 1987 Indian Hindi-language action drama film produced and directed by Anil Ganguly. It stars Jackie Shroff, Padmini Kolhapure, Richa Sharma in pivotal roles. Cast * Jackie Shroff as Shankar * Padmini Kolhapure as Anju * ...

'' (1987) *'' Belagaam'' (1988) *''

Zimmedaaar ''Zimmedaaar'' is a 1990 Indian Bollywood film directed and produced by Santosh Kumar Chauhan. It stars Rajiv Kapoor, Anita Raj and Kimi Katkar in pivotal roles. After this movie, Rajiv Kapoor did not feature in any films for over thirty ye ...

'' (1990) *'' Jigarwala'' (1991) *'' Kaun Kare Kurbanie'' (1991) *''Mehboob Mere Mehboob'' (1992) *'' Kichhhu Sanlap Kichhu Pralap'' (1989) *''Inth Ka Jawab Patthar'' (2002) *''Shondhey Namar Agey'' *''Adorini'' (2004) *''

Aa Dekhen Zara ''Aa Dekhen Zara'' ( en, Come, Let's See) is a 2009 Indian Hindi-language science fiction thriller film written by Sheershak Anand , starring Neil Nitin Mukesh, who plays a photo journalist, and Bipasha Basu, as a disc jockey. The film is the ...

'' (guest role as Dada Ji of Neil Nitin Mukesh) (2009)

Awards and honors

* Indian Personality of the year at 51st International Film Festival of India (IFFI) * Lifetime Achievement award at 5th Dehradun International Film Festival (DIFF) in 2019 * Guest of Honour

24th Kolkata International Film Festival The 24th Kolkata International Film Festival took place from 10 Nov 2018 – 17 Nov 2018. Celebrating 100 Years of Bengali cinema, Around 171 films and 150 short and documentary films from 70 countries was screened at the festival. Inauguration ...

(KIFF) * On 88th birthday of Mohammed Rafi, Chatterjee received

Mohammed Rafi Award Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the monothe ...

in Mumbai. * In 1963, Biswajit received President Gold Medal for film '' Dada Thakur'' from President

Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (; 5 September 1888 – 17 April 1975), natively Radhakrishnayya, was an Indian philosopher and statesman. He served as the 2nd President of India from 1962 to 1967. He also 1st Vice President of India from 1952 ...

References

Biswajit:44 Saal Baad - Devinder Bir Kaur's interview for The Tribune, Chandigarh

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chatterjee, Biswajit Male actors from Kolkata Bengali male actors Indian male film actors Male actors in Hindi cinema Living people Male actors from Mumbai Candidates in the 2014 Indian general election 1936 births Trinamool Congress politicians from West Bengal 20th-century Indian male actors