Celebrating Ram Kamal Mukherjee: A Storyteller across Journalism, Literature and Cinema

Ram Kamal Mukherjee, one of the few creative professionals to build a distinctive identity across journalism, literature and cinema, celebrates his birthday today, September 13.

His journey is defined by an abiding interest in people and their stories. Long before he stepped behind the camera, Mukherjee had established himself as a respected voice in film journalism. Over a career spanning leading publications, he worked with titles including The Times of India, The Asian Age, Mid-Day and Anandabazar Patrika, and later served as Editor-in-Chief of Stardust.

That grounding in journalism shaped his understanding of the entertainment industry and gave him an instinct for looking beyond celebrity to the person behind the public image. It also became the foundation for his work as a biographer.

Mukherjee emerged as a notable chronicler of Indian cinema with Hema Malini: Diva Unveiled, published when he was 29. He went on to write about some of Hindi cinema’s most recognisable personalities, including Hema Malini, Sanjay Dutt and Mithun Chakraborty. His biographies combined extensive research with an accessible narrative style, helping readers engage with the achievements, contradictions and personal struggles behind iconic careers.

Before directing, he also worked as Vice President at Pritish Nandy Communications and was associated with Zee TV’s finite series Bin Kuch Kahe, broadening his understanding of screen production.

His shift from writing about cinema to creating it marked a natural evolution. Mukherjee made his directorial debut with Cakewalk, starring Esha Deol, and subsequently built a body of work that included Season’s Greetings, Rickshawala, Broken Frame, Shubho Bijoya and Ek Duaa.

Across these projects, he has repeatedly gravitated towards stories of identity, dignity, gender and social exclusion. Ek Duaa, which examined discrimination against the girl child, earned a Special Mention at the 69th National Film Awards—an important milestone that affirmed his transition from journalist and author to filmmaker.

With the Bengali feature Binodiini: Ekti Natir Upakhyan, Mukherjee brought the life of pioneering 19th-century theatre actor Binodini Dasi to the screen. The ambitious period drama reflected both his Bengali cultural roots and his continuing interest in restoring overlooked figures to the centre of popular narratives.

His contributions to literature and cultural storytelling were further recognised in 2026 with the Rashtra Ratna Sahitya Puraskar.