Raju Shrestha, fondly remembered as Master Raju, is a name that resonates with many cinema lovers who recall his memorable performances as a child actor. Known for his work alongside Bollywood legends such as Dharmendra, Hema Malini, Jeetendra, and Amitabh Bachchan, Raju has shared the screen with some of the industry’s biggest names. However, in a recent interview, he recounted a particularly distressing experience with veteran actress Moushumi Chatterjee that left a lasting impact on him.
In a candid discussion with Siddharth Kannan, Raju revisited his first collaboration with Chatterjee in 1975, describing her as the toughest actor he had ever worked with. “If someone asks me who was the toughest to work with, I will say Moushumi Chatterjee,” he stated. “I never understood her as an actress in the first place. She never worked on her diction and delivered her lines with a Bengali accent. I never liked her.”
A Painful Memory from ‘Do Jhooth’
Raju recalled a particular incident on the sets of ‘Do Jhooth’, a film that also starred Vinod Mehra. At the time, Raju was just nine years old and actively involved in films. “There was a scene where she was dropping me off at boarding school, and I was supposed to cry in protest,” he said. “She assumed I wouldn’t cry and started pinching me. I was very young. She had long nails, and it hurt badly.”
“I was professional enough not to miss my dialogues, but once the scene was cut, I cried even more. I showed my mother that she had scratched me with her nails,” Raju recounted.
His mother complained to the director, who confronted Chatterjee. She reportedly defended her actions by saying, “I thought he wouldn’t cry. To avoid a retake, I pinched him.”
History Repeats Itself in ‘Tumhari Kasam’
Three years later, during the making of ‘Tumhari Kasam’, a film featuring Jeetendra and Moushumi Chatterjee, Raju faced a similar ordeal. “There was a scene where she had to drag me home while beating me and then throw me onto a bed without a mattress,” he explained. Despite his request for her to push him gently, Chatterjee hit him for real and threw him hard, causing him significant pain.
“My bones ached, and I cried a lot. I even asked her, ‘Aunty, what’s wrong with you?’ She just smiled and walked away,” Raju recalled.
These repeated experiences left a deep scar on the young actor. “I was traumatised. Every time I was told we had a film with Moushumi, I would feel scared. I had my worst experiences with her,” he admitted.
Reflections on Child Actors and Industry Practices
The revelations from Raju Shrestha shine a light on the challenges faced by child actors in the film industry. The pressure to perform and the lack of adequate protection can lead to distressing situations, as illustrated by Raju’s experiences. Industry experts suggest that there needs to be greater awareness and stricter guidelines to protect young actors from such incidents.
While Raju’s career continued beyond these traumatic experiences, his story serves as a reminder of the vulnerabilities faced by child actors. The industry has since made strides in ensuring better working conditions for young performers, but stories like Raju’s highlight the need for continued vigilance and advocacy.
As the film industry evolves, it is crucial to reflect on past practices and ensure that the welfare of all actors, especially children, is prioritized. Raju’s candid recounting of his experiences with Moushumi Chatterjee offers a poignant insight into the personal challenges he faced and the broader implications for child actors in cinema.
