Biography
A versatile performing artist in the truest sense, Arpita Chatterjee possesses the rare distinction of being a talented actress, a trained classical dancer, and a trained classical singer. Arpita was often called the Tolly Queen by her fans.
She first captured the limelight in 1997 when she won 'Sananda Tilottama,' the most prestigious beauty pageant in Eastern India, organised by the ABP Group (former awardees including Bipasha Basu and Celina Jaitly). This was the stepping stone to her film career. Arpita quickly rose to become one of the most iconic leading ladies of the mainstream Bangla film industry. With an illustrious career spanning over two decades, she has been the protagonist of fifty-odd films in Bangla, Hindi, Bhojpuri, and Odia. As an actress, she has won multiple awards in Indian and international mainstream and festival circuits. The most notable of these was the recent Filmfare Award for Best Actor Female (Critics' Choice) for her film 'Abyakto'.
Concurrently, she has been a loving face on national TV for brands like Fair & Lovely, Yippi Noodles, Lacto Calamine and Shyam Steel among others. The multitalented Arpita has also sung duets with the maestro Rashid Khan. Her recent solo musical stage - 'My Name Is Jaan' has won rich accolades from critics and the media.
Arpita has always embraced a growth mindset, driving her to realise her ambitions not only before the camera, but behind it as well. For more than a decade, under the banner of her first production house, she produced several popular fiction, non-fiction, and feature film formats hosted by media giants such as Zee, Star, and Colors in Bengal. She took a break from acting to raise her son and then returned with a bang, signing 12 films in 2019. While at her peak, she turned her focus and set up a Delhi-based health-tech startup in partnership with an eminent media personality. Her startup raised funds and was acquired by TV9 Network. A serial entrepreneur, Arpita now runs her newly launched Delhi-based production house - Studio9 - which is supported by TV9 Network, the largest news network in the country.
Having had the privilege to work with legendary filmmakers such as Shakti Samanta, Asit Sen, Prabhat Roy and Rituparno Ghosh, among others, Arpita is no stranger to the director's console. Over time, she developed a natural penchant for visual storytelling. A labour of love, 'This Is Me', a first-of-its-kind Indian documentary on the struggles and triumphs of the LGBTQ community, marks her directorial debut.
Studio9 is developing a plethora of fiction and non-fiction concepts, as well as stories based on real incidents, in different formats. An eternal liberal who has always refused to bow down to social stereotypes, Arpita is living her dream of expressing herself through her creativity. She is focussed on riding the rising tide of the global south in the world arena.
