Moon Moon Sen is one of those actresses who has forayed into politics. From her bold roles in cinema, she has now transitioned to a minister in the Trinamool Congress Party. On her birthday today, we trace her journey through the years
Updated On: 2019-03-28 11:51 AM IST
Moon Moon Sen, an alumnus of Loreto Convent, Shillong and Loreto House, Kolkata, graduated from Somerville College, Oxford where her classmate was cricketing legend-turned-Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan. She completed her Masters in Comparative Literature from Jadavpur University, and learned painting from Jamini Roy, considered one of India's greatest artists
Moon Moon Sen also worked as a teacher at Ballygunge Girls' School for a year and later at Chitrabani, a school which imparted training in film techniques, where she used to teach graphics. Moon Moon Sen also taught at Ballygunge Government High School in Kolkata, before joining the film industry
Moon Moon Sen was an actress before making an entry in politics. She joined Trinamool Congress in March 2014 and won in 2014 Lok Sabha Polls from Bankura constituency, where she defeated CPI(M)'s nine-time MP, Basudeb Acharia. It was considered as a major victory for Moon Moon Sen and TMC
Known as 'Suchitra Sen er meye' (meaning: Suchitra's daughter) in the interiors, Moon Moon Sen's calm demeanour was in sharp contrast to the aggressive body language of battle-hardened politicos as she interacted with residents in her constituency during 2014 elections
In general elections 2019, Subrata Mukherjee is fielded from Bankura, replacing actress Moon Moon Sen. Moon Moon Sen won the seat five years ago and has now been shifted to Asansol, where her opponent will be union minister and BJP leader Babul Supriyo
In 2014, roads were washed in dry Bankura to protect Moon Moon Sen. The local panchayat authorities washed the metalled road winding through the village, to protect Moon Moon Sen and her daughters, from the dust, when women waited for long hours at roadside taps to get a bucket of water
In pic: Moon Moon Sen with daughter Raima
Moon Moon Sen was also active in social work and even thought about adopting a baby, even before she was married
Moon Moon's daughters, Raima and Riya, followed in her footsteps to enter filmdom. While Riya is compared to her mother for sharing a bold on-screen persona, Raima is likened to her grandmother Suchitra for versatile acting prowess
In pic: Moon Moon Sen with her daughters
In April 2015, a massive fire broke out in two adjacent apartments of veteran actress and Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Moon Moon Sen, where she lived with her daughter, actress Riya Sen. The blaze started at around 1.35 am, when they were present in the house. The fire department confirmed that both mother and daughter got out of the apartment unhurt. The incident took place in the seven-storey Ruia Park Building, near Hare Rama Hare Krishna Temple in Juhu
In pic: Moon Moon Sen with her daughters Raima and Riya at an event
Before politics, Moon Moon Sen started her career in films and television after marriage and motherhood. Moon Moon Sen made her debut in Andar Baahar (1984). Her daring role in that film invited a lot of controversies
Moon Moon Sen was the talk of the town in the Bollywood in the 80s with her courageous and bold stances. However, she wasn't successful in the Hindi film industry. She did not appear in films after her movie 'Zakhmi Dil' which released in the year 1994. However in 2003, she returned with 'Kucch To Hai' which failed at the box-office
In Bollywood, one of Moon Moon Sen's notable appearance was in the suspense-thriller 100 days along with Jackie Shroff, Madhuri Dixit, and Javed Jaffrey
Before Bollywood, Moon Moon Sen was known for her works in Bengali, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Marathi and Kannada films. While Moon Moon Sen was not much of a huge success in the Bollywood, she did quite well in the Bengali cinema
Moon Moon Sen was one of the few Indian leading ladies who sported bikinis for magazines and did not shy away from exposing back then in the 1980s. Moon Moon Sen's bikini-clad onscreen romps once brought men to their knees. She has acted in 60 films, like 'Andar Baahar', '100 Days', 'Ek Din Achanak' and 'Bow Barracks Forever, and 40 television serials
Moon Moon Sen became a sensation after she did bold photoshoots in a conservative era. Infact, her bikini images caused a scandal in West Bengal. However, Moon Moon Sen lived life on her own terms
Moon Moon Sen said that she would bare even at the age of 70. 'Age is not important, the attitude is. Sophia is the ultimate glam girl who can manage to look beautiful in such a picture even now. But yes, India too has beautiful women like Rekha and Hema Malini who can carry such a thing out with aplomb. In fact, I wouldn't mind myself if the shoot is done aesthetically and with taste, say Moon Moon Sen
In 2015, Moon Moon Sen has spoken highly of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. On Prime Minister Narendra Modi, she had said, 'I think we should give him a chance. He has done a very good job winning all those votes and we have to give him a chance as a prime minister to do anything'
In pic: A candid moment captured of Moon Moon Sen during an event
In pic: Moon Moon Sen's mother-in-law Ila Devi is the daughter of Indira Raje, was the princess of Cooch Behar, and elder sister of Gayatri Devi, the Maharani of Jaipur