# Chandramukhi (character)

Chandramukhi is one of the pivotal characters in the 1917 Bengali novel Devdas by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay. Her character was inspired by the Hindu mystical singer Meera, who devoted her life to Lord Krishna; similarly Chandramukhi devoted her life to Devdas. Chandramukhi is portrayed as a tawaif in the novel and its film adaptations. Chandramukhi means "moon faced" or "as beautiful as the moon" in Sanskrit.

## In the novel

Chandramukhi is a courtesan (tawaif) who lives in Calcutta also known as Kolkata. She is considered the most beautiful and richest prostitute in the area of Chitpur. She is first introduced to Devdas by Chunnilal, who returns to Calcutta heartbroken after the marriage of Parvati "Paro". Devdas, disgusted over Chandramukhi's profession insults her and leaves her kotha. Chandramukhi, impressed by Devdas's attitude, later falls in love with him after realizing his steadfast love for Paro. She leaves her profession for Devdas and convinces him to marry her; he, however, has to reluctantly reject her offer as he has devoted his life to Paro. In return, Chandramukhi does not force him to be with her but waits patiently for him. Subsequently, she also moves to Ashthajhari village, where she lives in a muddy house located at the bank of a river and helps the needy. After some struggle, she meets with Devdas again, who now accepts her love.

## Film

In most of the film adaptations of Devdas, the story of Chandramukhi is similar to the novel. However, in most of the films her humanitarian work in helping the needy is not depicted. Unlike in the novel, a scene in which Chandramukhi and Parvathi meet was added in Bimal Roy's 1955 version when Paro, played by Suchitra Sen riding in a human rickshaw, comes across Chandramukhi, played by Vyjayanthimala, who just stares at Paro without a single word being exchanged between them. The meeting scene of Paro and Chandramukhi in the 1955 version was still regarded as one of the memorable scene in Bollywood with the background music adding the impact to the scene. In the 2002 version, the director, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, extended the interaction between Paro and Chandramukhi, also showing them dancing together to the hit song "Dola Re Dola".

## Performers

| Year | Title | Portrayed by | Language | Other cast | Other cast | Notes | Ref. |
| Year | Title | Portrayed by | Language | Devdas | Paro | Notes | Ref. |
| 1928 | Devdas | Niharbala / Miss Parul | Silent | Phani Sarma | Tarakbala | First film adaptation of Devdas | |
| 1935 | Devdas | Chandrabati Devi | Bengali | Pramathesh Barua | Jamuna Barua | All directed by Pramathesh Barua. | |
| 1936 | Devdas | T. R. Rajakumari | Hindi | K. L. Saigal | Jamuna Barua | All directed by Pramathesh Barua. | |
| 1937 | Devdas | Mohini | Assamese | Phani Sarma | Zubeida | All directed by Pramathesh Barua. | |
| 1937 | Mukti | Menaka Devi | Hindi | Pramathesh Barua | Kanan Devi | A contemporary retelling capturing the nostalgia and emotions of its male protagonist. | |
| 1937 | Mukti | Menaka Devi | Bengali | Pramathesh Barua | Kanan Devi | A contemporary retelling capturing the nostalgia and emotions of its male protagonist. | |
| 1953 | Devadasu | Lalitha | Telugu | Akkineni Nageswara Rao | Savitri | The film was simultaneously shot in Telugu and Tamil. | |
| 1953 | Devadas | Lalitha | Tamil | Akkineni Nageswara Rao | Savitri | The film was simultaneously shot in Telugu and Tamil. | |
| 1955 | Devdas | Vyjayanthimala | Hindi | Dilip Kumar | Suchitra Sen | | |
| 1955 | Selamat Tinggal, Kekasihku | Molly Lim | Malay | S. Roomai Noor | Chang Lai Lai | Malaysian film also known as Good Bye My Lover. | |
| 1965 | Devdas | Nayyar Sultana | Urdu | Habib Taalish | Shamim Ara | Pakistani film | |
| 1974 | Devadasu | Jayanthi | Telugu | Krishna | Vijaya Nirmala | | |
| 1978 | Devadasu Malli Puttadu | Vanisri | Telugu | Akkineni Nageswara Rao | Savitri | Sequel to the 1953 film Devadasu and follows the rebirth of the characters Chandramukhi and Devadasu, now known as Aruna and Sridhar Raja, who are reunited by Parvathi. Additionally, the role of Aruna was portrayed by Vanisri instead of Lalitha. | |
| 1978 | Muqaddar Ka Sikandar | Rekha | Hindi | Amitabh Bachchan | Raakhee | Loosely inspired by Devdas and the French play Cyrano de Bergerac. | |
| 1979 | Devdas | Supriya Choudhury | Bengali | Soumitra Chatterjee | Sumitra Mukherjee | Also known as Debdas. | |
| 1980 | Prema Tarangalu | Jayasudha | Telugu | Krishnam Raju | Sujatha | Remakes of Muqaddar Ka Sikandar. | |
| 1981 | Amara Kaaviyam | Sripriya | Tamil | Sivaji Ganesan | Madhavi | Remakes of Muqaddar Ka Sikandar. | |
| 1982 | Devdas | Anwara | Bengali | Bulbul Ahmed | Kabori | Bangladeshi film | |
| 1989 | Devadas | Ramya Krishnan | Malayalam | Venu Nagavally | Parvathy | | |
| 2002 | Devdas | Indrani Haldar | Bengali | Prosenjit Chatterjee | Arpita Pal | | |
| 2002 | Devdas | Madhuri Dixit | Hindi | Shah Rukh Khan | Aishwarya Rai | | |
| 2004 | Devdas | Sreelekha Mitra | Bengali | Parambrata Chatterjee | Monami Ghosh | | |
| 2009 | Dev.D | Kalki Koechlin | Hindi | Abhay Deol | Mahie Gill | Modern-day take on Devdas set in contemporary Punjab and Delhi. | |
| 2010 | Devdas | Meera | Urdu | Nadeem Shah | Zara Sheikh | Pakistani film | |
| 2013 | Devdas | Moushumi | Bengali | Shakib Khan | Apu Biswas | Bangladeshi film | |
| 2017 | Devi | Shataf Figar | Bengali | Paoli Dam | Shubh Mukherjee | Modern-day take on Devdas with gender bent versions of characters. | |
| 2017-2021 | Dev DD | Sanjay Suri | Hindi | Asheema Vardaan | Akhil Kapoor | Web series and a modern-day take on Devdas with gender bent versions of the characters. | |
| 2018 | Daas Dev | Aditi Rao Hydari | Hindi | Rahul Bhatt | Richa Chadha | Modern-day take on Devdas. The film follows a politician's son, Dev, who leads a lavish but troubled life as a drug addict with massive debts, until he is kidnapped and then returns to claim his father's legacy after his uncle suffers a heart attack. | |

## Popular Culture

Chandramukhi is one of the first characters in an Indian novel to deal with prostitution. She was often depicted as a tawaif with a heart of gold. The character of Chandramukhi had paved the way for other portrayals of prostitutes and tawaifs in films like Pyaasa (1957), Sadhna (1958) and Pakeezah (1972).

## Legacy

Chandramukhi was well received in India by critics. In 2006, Rediff included Chandramukhi in their list of "Bollywood's Best Tawaif". Nikhat Kazmi of The Times of India also ranked Chandramukhi at #5 in his list "Tart with a heart".

## Awards

There are many actresses who have portrayed Chandramukhi in film adaptations of Devdas. The first notable award was won by Vyjayanthimala in 1956 when she won the Filmfare Awards in the Supporting Actress category. However, she was also the first person to decline the award, as she thought that her role was not a supporting one but was of equal importance and parallel to that of Paro in the 1955 version. Madhuri Dixit and Kalki Koechlin and also won the same award as Vyjayanthimala for their respective portrayals.
The following are awards and nominations received by actresses who have played the role of Chandramukhi in film:
| Year | Film | Nominee | Award | Result | Note | Ref. |
| 1957 | Devdas | Vyjayanthimala | Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress | Won | She refused to accept the award as she thought that Chandramukhi and Parvathi were parallel roles and not a supporting role | [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] |
| 2002 | Devdas | Madhuri Dixit | Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress | Won | | [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] |
| 2002 | Devdas | Madhuri Dixit | Screen Award for Best Supporting Actress | Won | | [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] |
| 2002 | Devdas | Madhuri Dixit | Zee Cine Award for Best Actor – Female | Nominated | | [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] |
| 2002 | Devdas | Madhuri Dixit | IIFA Award for Best Actress | Nominated | | [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] |
| 2010 | Dev.D | Kalki Koechlin | Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress | Won | | [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] |
| 2010 | Dev.D | Kalki Koechlin | Stardust Award for Breakthrough Performance – Female | Nominated | | [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] |
| 2013 | Devdas | Moushumi | Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Actress | Won | | |
| 2013 | Devdas | Moushumi | People's Choice Meril-Prothom Alo Award for Best Film Actress | Nominated | |