Kamalinee Mukherjee

Kamalinee Mukherjee is an Indian actress. She has predominantly appeared in Telugu films as well as Malayalam, Tamil, Hindi, Bengali and Kannada language films.

Kamalinee Mukherjee
Born (1984-03-04) 4 March 1984
Kolkata, West Bengal, India
OccupationFilm actress
Years active2004–2016

After graduating with a degree in English literature, she completed a workshop on theatre in Mumbai because of her strong background in it. She made her acting debut in Phir Milenge (2004), a film that was based on the subject of AIDS. Although the film had a star cast, her performance was appreciated. She gained recognition in the multiple-award winner, Anand,2004 Telugu movie.

Early life

Kamalinee was born and brought up in Kolkata, India. Her father is a marine engineer and her mother is a jewellery designer.[1] She is the eldest of the three siblings in the family.[2] Owing to her "love for being on the stage"[2] since childhood, she acted in all sorts of amateur and professional stageplays while in school and college. Incidentally, she always portrayed masculine characters in these plays.[2] Besides theatre, she developed a love for reading, painting and writing.[3] She also underwent several years of training in the Indian classical dance form, Bharatanatyam.[3]

After graduating with a degree in English literature from Loreto College in Kolkata, she began a hotel management course in New Delhi but left it to pursue a course in theatre in Mumbai.[4]

Acting career

Breakthrough

After a chance meeting, actor-director Revathi offered her a role in her second directorial venture, Phir Milenge, a film about AIDS. Though initially apprehensive about her entering into the acting profession, her parents were very supportive.[3] In the film, she plays a radio jockey, and the younger sibling to Shilpa Shetty's character. Despite the fact that hers was not a lead character, she had ample an role to play in the film.[4][5]

Around the same time, Sekhar Kammula, a national award-winning director from the Telugu film industry, was in the process of casting for his next Telugu film, Anand. After noticing her in an advertisement, Kammula selected her for the role. Mukherjee said that the role of an independent and modern woman, which was just like her own personality, appealed to her.[3] When asked about her thoughts on a total change of working environment from Bollywood to Tollywood, she said that the only difference was the language. After completion of filming, she felt that as a relative newcomer she could not have asked for more, but thought that she could have performed better.[6] Despite her thoughts, the film won six prestigious 2004 Nandi Awards bestowed by the Government of Andhra Pradesh. Among these, Mukherjee won the Nandi Award for the Best Leading Actress. Upon receiving the award, she said "it is beyond the [sic] belief".[7] She also won two awards for being the best debutante actress of the year.[8][9]

2005-present

After receiving appreciation for her portrayal of a strong-willed, independent and modern woman in Anand, her next film was Meenakshi, in 2005. Despite the film not finding much commercial success, Mukherjee said that she did not regret doing the film and that it was a big learning curve.[2] Film reviewers praised Mukherjee for her acting skills.[10] In 2006, she appeared in two Telugu language films (Style and Godavari) and one Tamil language film (Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu). Style is a dance-based film with actor-choreographers Prabhu Deva, Raghava Lawrence, Charmee Kaur and Raja.[11]

Godavari, which was Sekhar Kammula's next film, starred Sumanth and Mukherjee in the lead roles. This drama film, which had the Godavari River in the backdrop, dealt with a romantic love story between the lead characters. Mukherjee portrayed the role of a woman with independent thinking and tremendous inner strength,[12] under the "backdrop of middle/upper middle class sensibilities, new aspirations, identity crisis, independence, yearnings and moreover, parental concerns."[13] The film received predominantly positive reviews, and Kamalinee's role was particularly praised. While one reviewer said that she was "beautiful ... both in looks and in her measured acting style,"[14] another reviewer praised her for the "intense yet cool portrayal."[12]

She made her Tamil debut in 2006 in Gautham Menon's Vettiyadu Velliyadu starring Tamil superstar Kamal Hassan. Following this, came Gamyam by Krish, a film widely praised by critics and audiences alike and subsequently remade in Tamil and Kannada, both of which featured Kamalinee in the lead role. Gamyam was the only regional film from the south to be in the running for India's entry to the Academy Awards apart from sweeping both the Nandi and Filmfare Awards.[15]

In 2009, she played the role of Latin Christian woman, Pemenna, in Kutty Srank, directed by Cannes award-winning director, Shaji N. Karun, and starring Malayalam matinee idol, Mammooty. The film swept the National Awards, winning in six categories including Best Film. She garnered tremendous praise for her portrayal of a young girl discovering her own sexuality and passion for forbidden love. In the same year, she worked in veteran director Vamsi's musical Gopi Gopika Godavari, which was well received not only for its cinematic content but also for its soundtrack.

In 2012, Kamalinee debuted in her native language, Bengali in National Award-winning director, Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury's Aparajita Tumi, starring Bengali superstar Prosenjit Chatterjee. The film met with critical and commercial success.[16] As per one reviewer, "The character of Ushashie, played by Kamalinee, is perhaps the most interesting one in the movie. The actress is stunning in her portrayal of a lonely, frustrated woman who runs through an entire gamut of emotions – right from resentment and self-pity, to anger, vengeance and finally, an inner sense of guilt".[17] Following Aparajita Tumi, Kamalinee also appeared in K Raghavenrda Rao's devotional film, Shirdi Sai with Nagarjuna. Her next project was new-age Malayalam director, V. K. Prakash's Natholi Oru Cheriya Meenalla, where she played a quirky character opposite Fahadh Faasil.

In 2016, Kamalinee worked with award-winning director Karthik Subbaraj in his second directorial venture, a woman-oriented film, Iraivi. The film was received well both critically and commercially with a reviewer stating, "Kamalinee Mukherjee once again reminds us that she is so good looking and talented as well. As Yazhini she gets to play a character still in love with Arul but is unable to cope up with the way he is destroying himself and their relationship. In fact her scenes with S.J.Suryah are wonderful, the chemistry between them being evident and adding value to those moments.".[18] After her special-appearance song in Malayalam director Vysakh's 2014 film Cousins, she was cast opposite Mohanlal in the box office record-breaking Pulimurugan. As of January 2017, Pulimurugan was the highest-grossing Malayalam film.[19] Her performance was widely praised with one reviewer stating that Kamalinee has "done a fabulous job as Myna and she really played the character with lot of conviction".[20] Another reviewer stated, "Hats off to Kamalinee Mukherjee, who has given a tight competition to Mohanlal. The actress is equally aggressive and adventurous in the movie. Be it the risky scenes or the cute romance sequences, Kamalinee is Mohanlal’s perfect Jodi."[21]

Other Activities

Kamalinee is a supporter of non-profit organizations CHORD India and World Vision, which are both involved in rehabilitation, welfare and the education of children.[22][23] She produces beauty tutorial videos along with her two younger sisters, Mrinalinee and Shohinee, for Mrinalinee's YouTube channel Mirror Mirror.[24] In 2014, she launched Chinese-American poetess Wand Ping's anthology Ten Thousand Waves in Hyderabad, India at a poetry reading event. Kamalinee was also part of the poets panel at the Bengaluru poetry festival in August 2016 where she read a selection of her poems alongside award-winning poet Dr. Neal Hall. She is an avid baker and cook and enjoys experimenting with cuisines from around the world.[25]

Filmography
YearFilmRoleLanguageNotes
2004Phir MilengeTanya SahniHindiDebut film
AnandRupaTeluguNandi Award for Best Actress
Nominated: Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Telugu
2005MeenakshiMeenakshi
2006StylePriya
Vettaiyaadu VilaiyaaduKayalvizhi RaghavanTamil
GodavariSeetha MahalakshmiTeluguNominated: Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Telugu
2007ClassmatesRazia
Pellaindi KaaniGayatri
Happy DaysShreya MadamCameo appearance
2008GamyamJanakiNominated: Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Telugu
JalsaInduCameo appearance
Brahmanandam Drama CompanyArpitha
2009Kadhalna Summa IllaiJanakiTamil
Gopi Gopika GodavariGopikaTeluguNominated: Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Telugu
2010SavaariJanakiKannada
Police PoliceHarikaTelugu
Kutty ShrankuPemmenaMalayalam
Maa Annayya BangaramManjuTelugu
NagavalliGayathri
2011VirodhiSunitha
2012Aparajita TumiUshoshiBengali
Shirdi SaiRadhakrishna BaiTelugu
2013Natholi Oru Cheriya MeenallaPrabha ThomasMalayalam
RamachariGeethaTelugu
Jagadguru Adi ShankaraUbhaya BharathiCameo appearance
2014Govindudu AndarivadeleChitra
CousinsMalayalamCameo appearance - Song
2016IraiviYazhiniTamil
PulimuruganMynaMalayalam
Manyam puliMynaTelugu

References
  1. "Kamalinee Mukherjee - Interview". Chitramala.com. Archived from the original on 20 August 2009. Retrieved 6 June 2008.
  2. Jeevi (19 July 2006). "Kamalinee Mukherjee - Idlebrain.com Interview". Idlebrain.com. Archived from the original on 25 May 2010. Retrieved 6 June 2008.
  3. Jeevi (10 April 2004). "Kamalinee Mukherjee - Idlebrain.com Interview". Idlebrain.com. Archived from the original on 28 October 2007. Retrieved 6 June 2008.
  4. Sengupta, Reshmi (21 August 2004). "Star-struck sister act". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 25 May 2011. Retrieved 6 June 2008. She’s 24, but ... Kamalinee Mukherjee.
  5. Iyer, Shilpa (27 August 2004). "Phir milenge: Sensitive attempt". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 21 August 2009. Retrieved 7 June 2008.
  6. "Kamalini's here to stay". The Times of India. 20 September 2007. Archived from the original on 17 January 2016. Retrieved 6 June 2008.
  7. "Nandi Awards 2004 Response". Idlebrain.com. Archived from the original on 11 October 2007. Retrieved 10 October 2007.
  8. "Santosham Film Awards 2005". Idlebrain.com. Archived from the original on 20 March 2013. Retrieved 7 June 2007.
  9. "CineMAA Awards 2004". Idlebrain.com. Archived from the original on 2 November 2007. Retrieved 7 June 2008.
  10. "Minni magic stands out in love flick". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 19 November 2005. Archived from the original on 21 August 2009. Retrieved 7 June 2008.
  11. "Style - The right steps". Indiaglitz.com. Archived from the original on 16 May 2010. Retrieved 7 June 2008.
  12. "Movie review - Godavari". Idlebrain.com. Archived from the original on 15 October 2007. Retrieved 7 June 2008.
  13. Sarma, Prasada (8 July 2006). "Godavari revisited". The Hindu. Chennai, India. Archived from the original on 21 August 2009. Retrieved 7 June 2008.
  14. "Godavari - A quiet flow". Indiaglitz.com. 19 May 2006. Archived from the original on 12 February 2011. Retrieved 7 June 2008.
  15. "Gamyam Awards". imdb.com. 19 May 2006. Archived from the original on 12 October 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2008.
  16. "Critic Review". timesofindia.com. 19 May 2018. Archived from the original on 12 October 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  17. "APARAJITA TUMI (2012) - Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury Delivers Yet Again With A Suave And Sensitive Bengali Flim". WashingtonBanglaRadio.com. Archived from the original on 30 March 2012. Retrieved 8 April 2011.
  18. "Movie review - Iraivi". madaboutmoviez.com. Archived from the original on 16 January 2017. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
  19. "Pulimurugan touches Rs 150 Cr". tollywood.net. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
  20. "Pulimurugan Review". muyals.com. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
  21. "Pulimurugan - Movie Review". metromatinee.com. Archived from the original on 9 October 2016. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
  22. "CHORD India - About Us". chordindia.org. Archived from the original on 2 December 2016. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
  23. "World Vision - About Us". worldvision.org. Archived from the original on 16 January 2017. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
  24. "Mirror Mirror". youtube.com. Archived from the original on 1 September 2019. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
  25. "Kamalinee Mukherjee performances". timesofindia.com. 19 May 2019. Archived from the original on 7 March 2019. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.