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Toy-ing with stardom
MONJOY Mukherjee, or Toy, as he is known to family and friends, is conscious of the mantle that he has inherited not only from his father, Joy Mukherjee, but also from his grandfather Shashadar Mukherjee. The latter set up Filmalaya Productions, the banner that was so successful that of the 72 movies Shashadar Mukherjee made, 49 were all-time hits such as Kismet, Ek Musafir, ek hasina, Anarkali, Nagin,Tumsa nahin dekha, Dil deke dekho etc. Also extremely popular were the romantic movies—remember the Love in series...Love in Simla, Love in Tokyo which starred Joy Mukherjee and won him a vast fan following. Recently in Chandigarh to meet friends, on the way to Shimla to see the snow, Monjoy confessed to being his father’s avid fan and it was a surprise for him on a recent visit to Japan to see how people there loved Joy Mukherjee’s movies. After his schooling in
Colonel Brown’s in Dehra Dun, Monjoy went to Mithibai college in
Mumbai. Though aware of his filmi roots, he gives the credit for his
down-to-earth upbringing to his mother, Neelam Sodhi (who belongs to
Patiala) who inculcated a spirit of discipline in Monjoy and his brother
Boy. So it was to bed at 11 pm and no filmi parties. Small wonder that
Monjoy wants to marry a Punjabi kudi, who will, he feels, be able
to handle him and his filmi background with confidence. Says he, "My mother brought us up in an extremely disciplined way. Though we were
aware of our background, we had a down-to-earth approach to life. That
is why meri bhi Punjabi ke saath hi jamegi". Incidentally,
more than his Bengali roots, it his Punjabi blood that has moulded his
character and attitude and he has fulsome praise for the hospitality and
warmth of the Punjabis. |
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In college the acting bug bit him and he acted in a few plays but he was so shy that even when he was required to hug the heroine, he couldn’t and it took a lot of coaxing and cajoling on the part of the director to make him relax. A course in acting from the Filmalaya School of acting under V. Malhotra to hone his acting skills raised his confidence level. Monjoy feels that one owes it to oneself to explore all the talent one has and utilise it to the optimum. As far as role models in acting go, it is Amitabh Bachchan and Naseeruddin Shah who inspire him. Demi Moore and Madhubala remain favourites as do Lionel Richie and Elton John. The two most romantic actors, according to Monjoy were Shammi Kapoor and Joy Mukherjee. He hopes to follow in his father’s footsteps but is of the firm conviction that nature selects the best on its own and there is ample scope as well as space for everyone in Bollywood. — AN |
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