‘I am that heroine’

‘‘I am that heroine of Balika Badhu and Ogho Badhu Sundhari. Please help me win this election,’’ appealed Moushumi Chatt...

‘‘I am that heroine of Balika Badhu and Ogho Badhu Sundhari. Please help me win this election,’’ appealed Moushumi Chatterjee, Bollywood actor and Congress candidate from Kolkata North-East constituency at her first press conference at the Congress office. Moushumi, who starred in films such as Kachche Daghe, Benaam and Manzil, is pitted against Trinamool Congress’ Ajit Kumar Panja.

Moushumi made her debut at the age of 12 in Tarun Mazumder’s Balika Badhu. In Ogho Badhu Sundhari she acted with Bengali matinee idol, Uttam Kumar.

Despite being reminded by reporters that not all of them were from her constituency, Moushimi continued appealing for votes with a ferocious single mindedness. ‘‘It’s you who can do everything. Please help me win,’’ she exhorted the assembled media.

‘‘How do you spell Moushumi?’’ someone asked her. ‘‘It’s ‘Mou’, then the ‘Shu’ that you wear and ‘me’ at the end,’’ she said, helpfully gesturing to herself.

As for actors joining politics, she wondered what the fuss was all about. ‘‘If a doctor or an engineer can turn to politics why not an actor or actress?’’ she asked.

From appealing she turned to wishful thinking. If elected, one of her plans is to sit at dharnas in front of the Parliament with workers of closed mills. ‘‘Today hundreds of factories in West Bengal are closed and the workers are living in a miserable condition. If I am elected to Parliament I will raise my voice against this and I will also sit in dharna in front of the Parliament to demand their re-opening,’’ promised Moushumi.