Biswajeet

14 Dec, 1936 |

Actor/Producer

Biography

After a couple of hit films in Calcutta like 'Mayamrigo' (1960) and 'Dui Bhai' (1961), Biswajit went to Bombay. In 1962, he catapulted to fame with his superhit film, Bees Saal Baad. Even though Shammi Kapoor was the reigning heart-throb of the masses and considered the king of romance in the 60s, Biswajit was a name to reckon with during that time. He acted in notable films like 'Mere Sanam' (1965), Shehnai (1964), 'Yeh Raat Phir Naa Ayegi' (1966), 'April Fool' (1964), 'Do Kaliyan' (1968), and 'Sharaarat' (1972). He was mostly paired with top actresses like Asha Parekh, Mumtaz, Mala Sinha and Rajshree. His films often had popular soundtracks, causing the films, and Biswajeet, to become even better-known. Biswajit also appeared in Rekha's debut film Anjana Safar (1969),(later re-titled Do Shikari) Though Anjana Safar was blocked by the censors and not released until 10 years later in 1979, a scene from the film which shows him kissing Rekha appeared on the pages of the Asian edition of Life magazine. In between acting in Bollywood movies, Biswajit kept going back to Calcutta to act in Bengali films, like the superhit Chowringhee (1968) with Uttam Kumar and much later, 'Srimaan Prithviraj' (1973) and 'Baba Taraknath' (1977). In 1975, Biswajit produced and directed his own film, Kahte Hai Mujhko Raja. He also acted in the film with major stars, such as Dharmendra, Hema Malini, Shatrughan Sinha, and Rekha (reteaming with her after working with her on her debut film "Anjana Safar" in 1969). Because of the star-studded cast and R.D. Burman's music, the film did moderately well at the box office. Later he went back to acting. Biswajit has been married twice and has three children. He has a son and a daughter from his late first wife. His son Prasenjit is a superstar in Bengali Film Industry and has been the number one star of Bengali cinema for more than a decade now. His elder daughter, Pallabi Chatterjee, is a lesser known film and television actress. Biswajit currently lives in Bombay with his second wife and their daughter Shambhavi.