Joy Mukherjee Wiki, Age, Death, Wife, Children, Family, Height, Biography & More

Joy Mukherjee (1939-2012) was an Indian actor and filmmaker who worked in more than 30 films. He starred in several hits and was called the ‘heartthrob of the 1960s and 1970s.’ He passed away on 9 March 2012.

Wiki/Biography

Joy Mukherjee was born as Jaydev Mukherjee on Friday, 24 February 1939 (age 73 years; at the time of death) in Jhansi, United Provinces, British India (now Uttar Pradesh, India). His zodiac sign is Pisces. He completed his schooling at Col. Brown Cambridge School in Dehra Dun.

Joy pursued a B.A degree at St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai; however he dropped the course in the final year.

Physical Appearance

Height (approx.): 6′ 2″

Weight (approx.): 75 kg

Hair Colour: Salt & Pepper

Eye Colour: Black

Family

Joy Mukherjee belonged to a Bengali Kulin Brahmin family.

Parents & Siblings

Joy’s father, Sashadhar Mukherjee, was an Indian filmmaker and the co-founder of Filmalaya Studios and was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India. His mother, Sati Devi, was a homemaker.

He had five siblings including four brothers, Deb Mukherjee (actor), Shomu Mukherjee (director), Subbir Mukherjee (producer), Rono Mukherjee (director), and a sister, Shibani Maulik Mukherjee.

Wife & Children

Joy got married to Neelam Mukherjee in 1966. They had two sons, Sujoy Mukherjee, and Monjoy Mukerji, and a daughter, Simran Mukherjee. Neelam Mukherjee has been graduated from England.

Both Sujoy and Monjoy are film producers.

Other Relatives

He was the nephew of Subodh Mukerji, who was a Hindi filmmaker. Ashok Kumar (actor), Anoop Kumar (actor), and Kishore Kumar (singer and actor) were his maternal uncles. Tanuja Samarth was his sister-in-law, the wife of his brother Shomu Mukherjee, and the mother of Kajol, who is a famous Bollywood actress. He was the paternal uncle of Rani Mukerji, a famous Bollywood actress, and Ayan Mukerji, a renowned filmmaker.

Family Tree

Religion

He followed Hinduism.

Signature/Autograph

Career

Actor

Joy made his film debut with Love in Simla in the lead role, opposite Sadhana, in 1960. The film was inspired by the 1938 English film ‘Jane Steps Out’ and became a hit at the box office.

After that, he worked with well-known actresses like Saira Banu, Sadhna, and Rajashree.

He was mainly known for films like Aao Pyar Karen (1963), Shagird (1967), Ek Musafir Ek Haseena (1962), Ishaara (1964), Jee Chahta Hai (1964), Door Ki Awaaz (1964), and Love in Tokyo (1966). He also worked in a Punjabi film, Dupatta, which was released in 1969. His popularity began to soar in the late 1960s, and a new generation of actors replaced him. His last movie Insaaf Main Karoonga was released in 1985, starring Rajesh Khanna and Padmini Kolhapure.

Filmmaker

Joy produced and directed the film Humsaya, which was released in 1968. He played the double role in the film opposite Mala Sinha and Sharmila Tagore; however, the film did not succeed at the box office.

He then produced ‘Love in Bombay,’ which was the third film of Mukherjee’s Love In trilogy, after Love in Simla (1960), and Love in Tokyo (1966). He appeared along with his maternal uncles Ashok Kumar and Kishore Kumar. Although the film was made in 1971, it was later released in 2013 by his son Monjoy Mukherjee, after a year of Joy Mukherjee’s death. The film was Joy’s dream project, but he was left with no money to release the film, resulting in the delay.

In 1977, the film ‘Chhailla Babu’ became the first successful film of Joy Mukherjee’s directorial career. The film was written and produced by Shomu Mukherjee and directed by Joy Mukherjee, starring Rajesh Khanna and Zeenat Aman. The movie was an overnight success at the box office and helped Joy to solve his bankruptcy issues.

Award

In October 2001, Joy received the CINTAA Award.

Car Collection

Joy Mukherjee used to drive a 1960 Ford Thunderbird.

Salary

Joy Mukherjee charged up to 10 lakh rupees per film back in the 1960s.

Death

Joy Mukherjee died on 9 March 2012 at Mumbai’s Leelavati Hospital. He was suffering from a prolonged illness and was on a ventilator before he took his last breath.

Favourites

• Actress(es): Vyjayanthimala, Nutan

• Song: “Mehndi Laga Ke Rakhna” from the film Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995)

Facts/Trivia

• Joy Mukherjee is often labelled as the first chocolate boy of the Hindi film industry who started the shirtless trend in Bollywood films in the 1960s.

  Joy Mukherjee’s shirtless picture

• Joy Mukherjee wanted to become a tennis player before coming into the film industry.

  Joy Mukherjee snapped while playing tennis

• Joy Mukherjee liked to smoke and was often seen with a cigarette.

  Joy Mukherjee while smoking a cigarette

• Joy signed his first film, Hum Hindustani (1960), for a fee of Rs 200, which was offered to him by his uncle Ram Mukherjee. It was considered a huge amount at the time, and his uncle offered him this amount as Joy Mukherjee initially didn’t want to make a career in films.

• Joy Mukherjee dropped Asha Parekh from his lap while shooting a scene while shooting a scene for the film Love in Tokyo. Although it was an accident, she got injured badly.

• Joy Mukherjee also worked in a few TV serials due to financial issues. Joy last acted in a TV serial titled ‘Aye Dil-e-Nadan’ in 2009.

• A road was named after Joy Mukherjee as ‘Shri Joy Mukerji Marg’ in Andheri, Mumbai on 24 February 2013 by BMC.

• Joy Mukherjee faced severe financial losses due to producing films like Humsaya (1968) and Love in Bombay (2013). It is said that Joy was left with no money to release the film Love in Bombay in the 1970s.

• Joy Mukherjee once pranked his heroine, Sadhana, on the film set of Love in Simla (1960). The heroine being upset from the incident refused to shoot the scene ahead before being persuaded by the producer of the film, S Mukerji.