Film Industry: Raakhee, Mala Sinha, Moushumi made sound investments in property

Raakhee, Mala Sinha, Moushumi made sound investments in property

    Actor Bharat Bhushan, who tasted superstardom in the 40-50s with Baiju Bawra (1952) and Basant Bahar (1956), died in penury. He was reduced to staying in rented houses just before his death in 1992. Same was the case with Bhagwan Dada, who directed and acted in Albela
    (1951). He lived in a one-room tenement in Parel, a Central Mumbai
    locality, and died in the same chawl in 2002, steeped in poverty.
However, some of the actresses of yore have struck gold in Mumbai’s realty market, because of the sound investments they or their families made back in the day. Raakhee sold her bungalow, Muktangan, on Sarojini Road and moved a few buildings away.
    Now, Muktangan is a highrise and actress Bipasha Basu owns one of the penthouses in it. Raakhee spends most of her time at her farmhouse in Panvel, where she enjoys catching freshwater fish and cooking fantastic meals for family and friends passing through. Moushumi Chatterjee, often referred to as the ‘Balika Badhu’ of Bollywood because of the 1967 Bengali film that she did, also owns some of the best addresses in the suburbs.
    Moushumi, who is the daughter-in-law of music composer and playback singer Hemant Kumar, owns two apartments in Pali Hill’s Nibbhana building. That’s not all,
    Hemant Kumar’s recording studio, Geetanjali, on Ahimsa Marg at Khar, is now a highrise in which the actress, her husband Ritesh (Babu) and their daughters Payal and Megha own three floors. Moushumi says, “We have kept three floors for the family, but I spend most of my time in
Lonavala, on our farm.”
    Mala Sinha, who ruled through the 50-70s, is also lucky that she bought her bungalow, registered as No 8, Turner Road, way back in the day.
    A reliable film industry source says Mala had a choice of either buying Mehboob Studios or the bungalow on Turner Road. Says our source, “Back then, property in Mumbai was not expensive. In fact, Mala’s father, who managed her business affairs, reportedly got the property — she continues to live on it — for a lark. She chose not to buy Mehboob Studios, because her father felt that the property was too big for one individual to maintain. Today, her bungalow and Mehboob Studios are the most coveted properties in Mumbai.”